Accession Number
1993/2.66

Title
Maternity Figure

Artist(s)
Vili (Kongo)

Artist Nationality
Vili

Object Creation Date
19th century

Medium & Support
polychromed wood, porcelain, glass beads, and cloth

Dimensions
11 5/8 in x 5 1/8 in x 5 9/16 in (29.5 cm x 13 cm x 14.2 cm);11 5/8 in x 5 1/8 in x 5 9/16 in (29.5 cm x 13 cm x 14.2 cm)

Credit Line
Museum purchase made possible by the Betty J. Lockett Memorial Fund; the Mary Kujawski Memorial Fund; and the Alfred E. Pernt Memorial Fund, in honor of Dr. of Technical Services Max H.J. Pernt and his wife Anna Pernt (née Mueller)

Label copy
The Vili, along with the nearby Yombe and other Kongo groups, produce many mother and child sculptures. While these are said to serve a variety of ritual and political purposes, their precise use remains largely undocumented. Carvings from this area tend to be carefully and fairly naturalistically rendered.

Primary Object Classification
Sculpture

Primary Object Type
figure

Collection Area
African

Rights
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Keywords
baby
kneeling
mother