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Mother-and-Child Figure
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Wearing an elaborate lobed headdress and a beaded waistbelt, and having filed teeth and red-powdered skin, this maternity figure seems to have once carried an ax and a cup, wooden imitations of the two most important chiefly attributes. Perhaps together with a male counterpart, it was secretly kept inside the ritual house, serving as a guardian of the chief’s treasure. Its style places it in the westernmost corner of Pendeland, between the Lutshima and Kwilu rivers.
| Artist / Maker | Anonymous, Pende-style maker |
|---|---|
| Date | late 1800s–early 1900s |
| Culture / Origin | Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Pende-style maker |
| Medium | Wood, glass beads, upholstery studs, natural fiber, and pigment |
| Dimensions | Overall: 53.4 x 13.1 x 14.6 cm (21 x 5 3/16 x 5 3/4 in.) |
| Department | African Art |
| Type | Sculpture |
About the Artist
Provenance & Source
Image & data: Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 / Public Domain.
Condition
A detailed condition report and high-resolution photography are available from our specialists in advance of the sale.
Shipping & Collection
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