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Female Face Mask (ngady mwaash), late 19th–early 20th century. Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kuba peoples. Wood, pigment, raffia textile, cowrie shell; ca. 13 x 10 1/4 in. (33 x 26 cm). Art and Artifacts Division of the Schomburg Collections, New York Public Library
This work was acquired by Alain L. Locke from Belgium-based collector Raoul Blondiau in 1926.
Sculptural Element from a Reliquary Ensemble, late 19th–early 20th century (before 1926). Gabon. Kota peoples. Wood, brass, and copper; H. 22 1/16 x W. 10 5/8 x D. 1 3/16 in. (H. 56 x W. 27 x D. 3 cm). Art and Artifacts Division of the Schomburg Collections, New York Public Library
Seated Female Figure with Child (pfemba), late 19th–early 20th century. Democratic Republic of the Congo or Angola. Kongo peoples, Yombe group. Wood, brass tacks, pigment; H. 9 3/4 x W. 3 3/8 x D. 3 in. (H. 24.8 x W. 8.6 x D. 7.6 cm). The National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC
Power Figure (Nkisi), 19th–early 20th century (before 1926). Democratic Republic of the Congo, East Kasai Province. Songue peoples (Eki or Ilande group). Wood, teeth, ivory; H. ca. 11 13/16 in. (30 cm). Art and Artifacts Division of the Schomburg Collections, New York Public Library
Head-shaped cup (mbwoong ntey), 19th–early 20th century (before 1926). Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kuba peoples. Wood; H: 8 1/8 in. (20.6 cm). Howard University Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
Alain L. Locke (1885–1954) was a leading African American cultural critic and advocate of racial studies, from the publication of his anthology The New Negro in 1925 until his death in 1954. The first African American Rhodes Scholar and a professor of philosophy at Howard University for forty years, Locke's interest in African history and art led him to emphasize the concept of "ancestral legacy." Through his championing of African sculpture, weaving, pottery, and design as great art, Locke had a tremendous impact on an entire generation of African American artists.