- Found In
- nnrc (CstRLIN)NYPG085000078-F
- Description
- 5 musical instruments.
- 31 vessels.
- 5 staffs.
- 3 weapons.
- 6 adornment items.
- 10 statues.
- 11 utilitarian objects.
- 7 masks.
- Summary
- The Blondiau-Theatre Arts Collection primarily from western central Africa in present-day Zaire, comprises the oldest and much of the finest group of African artifacts in the collection. It consists of ritual and ceremonial implements and utensils, such as bowls and cups; wooden and metal arms and armor; adornment items, i.e. ivory pendants, bronze necklaces; musical instruments; reliquaries, figurines, statues and masks. Ethnic groups represented are the: Kuba, Zande, Luba, Kongo, Yaka, Lulua, Pende, Lozi, Waregas, Mende, Duala, Yoruba, Igbo, Kota, Chokwe and Songe.
- Donor/Sponsor
- Schomburg NEH Automated Access to Special Collections Project.
- Subjects
- Access (note)
- Access to the collection is by appointment only and is restricted to qualified and experienced researchers.
- Cite As (note)
- From the collection of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The New York Public Library, Astor Lenox & Tilden Foundation, Arts & Artifacts Division.
- Terms of Use (note)
- Works from the collection may be borrowed for exhibition purposes. Photography of art or artifacts in the collection is prohibited. In most instances, prints of collection items are available for sale to researchers. Permission for loans and to reproduce prints for publication must be obtained in writing.
- Provenance (note)
- The Blondiau-Theatre Arts Collection was the first collection of African art and artifacts acquired by the Schomburg Center, then the 135th Street Library. The collection was assembled as a private collection by Raoul Blondiau, a Belgian diplomat who collected works from the Congo (present-day Zaire) during a the first years of the official beginning of colonization, (August 15, 1885). These artifacts are pre-colonial and belonged to chieftains who used them for ceremonial occasions only. In 1927, the collection of nearly one thousand items which had been purchased by Mrs Edith Issacs, publisher of Theatre Arts Monthly magazine was brought to this country and exhibited at the New Art Circle Gallery on 57th Street in New York City. Through the aide of Dr. Alain Locke, over seventy objects from the Collection were put on exhibit at the 135th Street Branch Library and were subsequently given to the Center forming the core of the African art and artifacts holdings.
- Linking Entry (note)
- Forms part of the African Art and Artifacts Collection.
- Call Number
- Sc Art (Blondiau theatre arts collection)
- OCLC
- NYPG085000085-F
- Author
Blondiau, Raoul. Collector
- Title
[Blondiau theatre arts collection] [realia].
- Imprint
1895-1927.
- Access
Access to the collection is by appointment only and is restricted to qualified and experienced researchers.
- Cite As:
From the collection of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The New York Public Library, Astor Lenox & Tilden Foundation, Arts & Artifacts Division.
- Terms Of Use
Works from the collection may be borrowed for exhibition purposes. Photography of art or artifacts in the collection is prohibited. In most instances, prints of collection items are available for sale to researchers. Permission for loans and to reproduce prints for publication must be obtained in writing.
- Linking Entry
Forms part of the African Art and Artifacts Collection.
- Provenance
The Blondiau-Theatre Arts Collection was the first collection of African art and artifacts acquired by the Schomburg Center, then the 135th Street Library. The collection was assembled as a private collection by Raoul Blondiau, a Belgian diplomat who collected works from the Congo (present-day Zaire) during a the first years of the official beginning of colonization, (August 15, 1885). These artifacts are pre-colonial and belonged to chieftains who used them for ceremonial occasions only. In 1927, the collection of nearly one thousand items which had been purchased by Mrs Edith Issacs, publisher of Theatre Arts Monthly magazine was brought to this country and exhibited at the New Art Circle Gallery on 57th Street in New York City. Through the aide of Dr. Alain Locke, over seventy objects from the Collection were put on exhibit at the 135th Street Branch Library and were subsequently given to the Center forming the core of the African art and artifacts holdings.
- Connect to:
- Found In:
nnrc (CstRLIN)NYPG085000078-F
- Research Call Number
Sc Art (Blondiau theatre arts collection)