Songye Standing Maternity Figure

Hope for children. Hope for the lineage. In Songye country, a mother and child said both.

Songye sculptors are known for strong, simplified forms. This maternity figure from the Democratic Republic of Congo, early 20th century, stands just over fourteen inches tall. The woman cradles a small child against her side and abdomen, full breasts set high on a compact torso above short, bent legs and a round base. Her large rounded head is dominated by heavy-lidded, half-closed eyes, a short nose and a small mouth on a long neck.

Visible adze marks and a dark, dry, weathered surface.

Her eyes are nearly closed. She has no reason to look around.