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Mother-and-Child Figure (Bwanga bwa Chibola)

A work made of wood and pigment.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of wood and pigment.

Date:

Mid–late 19th century

Artist:

Luluwa
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Central Africa

About this artwork

This delicate rendering of a mother holding her newborn child celebrates human fertility. The figure was related to rituals dedicated to helping women with childbirth and preventing infant mortality. Scarification patterns, hairstyles, jewelry, and anatomical details expressed the Luluwa concept of bwimpe, which unites beauty with goodness. Such figures may have served as both containers for medicine and symbols of status, reflecting societal changes in the latter half of the 19th century.

Status

On View, Gallery 137

Department

Arts of Africa

Culture

Luluwa

Title

Mother-and-Child Figure (Bwanga bwa Chibola)

Place

Democratic Republic of the Congo (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1850–1899

Medium

Wood and pigment

Dimensions

28.9 × 8.6 × 8.2 cm (11 3/8 × 3 3/8 × 3 1/4 in.)

Credit Line

Wirt D. Walker Fund

Reference Number

1993.354

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/125774/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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