Kneeling female figure with child

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Description

wood, kaolin, yellow ochre, black paint,

Female figures with child are known throughout the Congo region as “phemba”. The present figure is preceded by a small standing figurine of which it is not clear whether it actually shows a child or a female initiate.
Accordingly, the figure may have been related to the treatment of infertility or female initiation.

According to another interpretation, the kneeling woman symbolises a clan mother, while the small figure represents a village community receiving her blessings and protection.

Particularly striking is the large cross pendant on the back and the smaller one on the chest, which is fused with the right upstretched arm of the small figure.

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Comparing literature

Felix, Marc L. (ed.), Kongo Kingdom Art, China 2003, p. 103

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