Not Currently On View in Intersections

Object Name: Female with child

Culture: Yombe peoples

Place of Origin: Democratic Republic of the Congo

Date/Era: Late 19th century

Medium/Materials: Wood and glass

Dimensions: H: 40.0 cm, W: 11.4 cm, D: 11.0 cm (H: 15.7 in, W: 4.5 in, D: 4.3 in)

Credit Line: Gift of the Wellcome Trust.

Accession Number: X65.7497

This work was used to reverse infertility in women and was one of the objects belonging to a women?s group dedicated to female health and well-being. Figures of this type depicted young mothers endowed with all the marks of Yombe beauty: elegant and prolific scarification patterns on the chest and the back, a tall conical prestige headdress, elegantly filed teeth, and a serene composure befitting the proud mother of an infant child.

Source: Gallery Text,Intersections: World Arts, Local Lives, 2006