Luluwa Maternity Figure
Democratic Republic of the Congo
A standing maternity figure structured along a central vertical axis, the mass concentrated in the head and upper torso.
Description
Carved from a single wood block, the head is forward-set, with a projecting brow, deeply carved eyes, and a short horizontal mouth. A crest rises from the crown; the face and skull carry dense incised patterning — chevrons, lozenges, crosshatching, and concentric circles — extending without interruption from hairline to jaw.
The neck is ringed; the shoulders are broad and squared. Incision continues across the chest, abdomen, arms, and legs in a continuous geometric system. The breasts project forward. A child is held horizontally across the lower torso, supported in both arms.
The legs descend in direct alignment; the feet are broad and block-form.
Surface is compact and stable. Pigment is retained within recessed carving, with exposure at projecting elements.
Context
Among the Luluwa, figures of this type are associated with ideals of physical and social wellbeing within lineage structures. The surface patterning corresponds to forms of body modification marking status and identity.
Provenance
From the Felice Maffei Collection, acquired in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1985.
Details
- Title
- Luluwa Maternity Figure
- Culture
- Luluwa
- Origin
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Date
- 19th–20th century
- Dimensions
- H 119 cm (46.9 in) · W 29 cm (11.4 in)
- Medium
- Wood, pigment
- Provenance
- From the Felice Maffei Collection, acquired in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1985.
- Condition
- Stable surface; pigment retained in recessed carving, with exposure at raised areas. Vertical age split through the left foot; fine cracks to the torso.
