Pende maternity figure, Democratic Republic of the Congo
19" tall
wood, pigment
mid 20th century
A nice mid-century Pende maternity figure in my opinion with the mother wearing a traditional Pende hat and the
baby is off to her side which is the most common position in Pende maternity figures. What drew me to this piece
originally was the expressions on the faces of the mother and child; both portray very somber expressions.
Stylistically this figure relates to object number 0006326~01 in the Yale-VanRijn Photographic Archives. While a
lot of Pende maternity figures of larger size were used as roof finials on ritual houses, smaller objects like this
were used in shrines in personal dwellings.
$800
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