Accession Number
1983/2.174

Title
Maternity Figure

Artist(s)

Object Creation Date
circa 1950

Medium & Support
terracotta with white pigment

Dimensions
9 5/8 in x 4 1/2 in x 5 13/16 in (24.5 cm x 11.5 cm x 14.8 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Stewart Pinsof

Subject matter
Ntekpe, or ‘children of the shrine’, are figures placed in Igbo family shrines by women dealing with infertility. Within this context, the figure becomes both an offering and a display of the desire for children. Usually made by older women, these figures often feature a single mother and child or a male and female pair.

References Cited:
Cole, Herbert M. and Chike C. Aniakor. 1984. Igbo Arts: Community and Cosmos. Los Angeles: UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History.
LaGamma, Alisa. 2000. "Art and Oracle: Spirit Voices of Africa." African Arts 33.1: 52-69.
LaGamma, Alisa and John Pemberton. 2000. Art and Oracle: African Art and Rituals of Divination. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Physical Description
Clay female figure seated on a stool, holding a nursing baby. 

Primary Object Classification
Sculpture

Primary Object Type
figure

Collection Area
African

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form. Keywords
children (people by age group)
deities
fertility
infant
mother
mothers
nudes
seated
shrines (structures)
women (female humans)