Cabinet W: Shelf 3
Selections from the Helmut Stern Collection
The objects displayed in this case form part of the collection of Helmut Stern, a dedicated and discerning collector of African art whose focus is on objects from what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. This vast country is home to numerous ethnic groups, both large and small. In pre-colonial times, some of these groups were organized into centralized states, such as the Kongo and Kuba kingdoms, and many of the objects here are insignia of royal or ritual power, or both. The vessels, for example, would have been used by chiefs and traditional religious practitioners alike to hold palm wine, while the finely carved adze decorated with brass tacks represents one of the most important emblems of power among Hemba peoples. The disquieting “power objects,” which are known by a variety of local names among the Kongo and related peoples, were used as receptacles for spirit forces, which they attracted and enlivened through powerful substances incorporated into the object itself; they were handled and used by ritual specialists to heal and protect a person or to seek justice for crimes. The Stern collection has been described by the Congolese art historian Niangi Batulukisi as a very rich one, with works of high quality that “bear witness to the grandeur of the civilizations that produced them.”
Zaramo
Fertility Doll
wood
5 1/4 in x 1 3/4 in x 1 7/8 in (13.4 cm x 4.5 cm x 4.8 cm)
Gift of Candis and Helmut Stern
Dogon
Ritual Trough
wood
6 7/8 in x 30 1/8 in x 3 3/4 in (17.5 cm x 76.5 cm x 9.5 cm)
Gift of Candis and Helmut Stern
Zaramo
Doll Figure
wood, red beads
4 3/4 in x 1 5/8 in x 1 9/16 in (12 cm x 4.1 cm x 4 cm)
Gift of Candis and Helmut Stern
Zaramo
Fertility Doll
wood
4 3/4 in x 2 1/2 in x 2 3/16 in (12 cm x 6.3 cm x 5.5 cm)
Gift of Candis and Helmut Stern
Nzakara
Knife
iron, ivory
8 7/16 in x 1 1/4 in x 13/16 in (21.5 cm x 3.1 cm x 2.1 cm)
Gift of Candis and Helmut Stern
Zaramo
Fertility Doll
wood
5 3/16 in x 1 7/8 in x 1 11/16 in (13.2 cm x 4.8 cm x 4.3 cm)
Gift of Candis and Helmut Stern
Zaramo
Fertility Doll
wood
4 5/8 in x 2 5/16 in x 2 3/16 in (11.8 cm x 5.9 cm x 5.6 cm)
Gift of Candis and Helmut Stern
Headdress
metal nails, wood and polychrome
8 13/16 in x 5 5/16 in x 5 1/8 in (22.4 cm x 13.5 cm x 13 cm)
Gift of Candis and Helmut Stern
Yoruba
Figure
wood, cowrie shells, leather, and blue pigment
6 ⅒ in x 3 15/16 in x 3 15/16 in (15.5 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm);6 ⅒ in x 3 15/16 in x 3 15/16 in (15.5 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm)
Gift of Candis and Helmut Stern
Yombe
Seated Figure
wood
10 1/4 in x 3 3/4 in x 3 11/16 in (26 cm x 9.5 cm x 9.3 cm);10 1/4 in x 3 3/4 in x 3 11/16 in (26 cm x 9.5 cm x 9.3 cm)
Gift of Candis and Helmut Stern
Yombe; Kongo
Seated Male Figure
wood, brass tacks, glass
6 3/4 in x 2 13/16 in x 2 13/16 in (17.15 cm x 7.14 cm x 7.14 cm);7 13/16 in x 2 7/8 in x 3 9/16 in (19.84 cm x 7.3 cm x 9.05 cm);1 1/16 in x 2 7/8 in x 3 9/16 in (2.7 cm x 7.3 cm x 9.05 cm)
Museum purchase made possible by the David L. Chambers and John G. Crane Fund for Acquisitions
Yombe
Figure
wood and resin
6 5/16 in x 2 3/16 in x 2 3/8 in (16 cm x 5.6 cm x 6 cm);6 5/16 in x 2 3/16 in x 2 3/8 in (16 cm x 5.6 cm x 6 cm)
Gift of Candis and Helmut Stern