A dark-brown painted sculpture with hints of orange showing through of a slim face with a long neck. The lips are drawn in a pout, the cheeks sunken, the hair pulled back in a swirl pattern and falling down in a slim column.

Head

Museum collection

Museum work by Fang

Art Institute of Chicago

Thread 62273

Spiritual Elevation

Where the original lives

Art Institute of Chicago

The original is held by the Art Institute of Chicago and is not for sale. This piece is shown for reference — no edition of it is offered.

See the work in the Art Institute of Chicago collection

Curator’s note

Fang (Mid–late 19th century) from Gabon. Held in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago and released into the public domain, offered here as a museum-quality edition within the spiritual thread.

Details

Artist: Fang
Date: Mid–late 19th century
Medium: Wood and copper
Dimensions: H.: 39.4 cm (15 1/2 in.)
Origin: Gabon
Collection: Frederick W. Renshaw Acquisition Fund; Robert Allerton and Ada Turnbull Hertle endowments; Robert Allerton Income Fund; Gladys N. Anderson Endowment

Placing a spiritual elevation work

Devotional images, mandalas, temple architecture, pilgrimage — work made to be looked at for a long time rather than glanced at. This thread asks the most of its placement: a wall of its own, light that changes through the day, and nothing competing beside it.

Direction: North-east — the quarter reserved for the sacred
Rooms: Prayer rooms · Meditation spaces · Quiet corners · Entrance thresholds

See the whole thread

Provenance & rights

Source collection: Art Institute of Chicago. Frederick W. Renshaw Acquisition Fund; Robert Allerton and Ada Turnbull Hertle endowments; Robert Allerton Income Fund; Gladys N. Anderson Endowment. Public domain (CC0). Shown here for reference, with full attribution to the artist and holding institution. No edition of this work is offered.