YOMBE MATERNITY GROUP, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

Collected in situ by Maurice de Raikem between 1920 - 1925
By descent through the family
Patrick Dierickx, Brussels
Robert Rubin, New York, acquired from the above on June 10, 1985

The Center for African Art, New York, Africa Explores: 20^th Century African Art, May 23, 1991 - January 2, 1992, and contemporaneously
New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York, May 11 - September 18, 1991; additional venues:
Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, February 9 - April 5, 1992
Saint Louis Art Museum, Saint Louis, May 15 - July 5, 1992
Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte, August 8 - October 11, 1992
Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, November 7, 1992 - January 10, 1993
Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., February 6 - April 4, 1993
Center for Fine Arts, Miami, 1993
Ludwig Forum für Internationale Kunst, Aachen, 1993
Antoni Tapies Foundation, Barcelona, 1993 - 1994
Espace Lyonnais d'Art Contemporain (ELAC), Lyon, 1994
Tate Gallery, Liverpool, 1994
Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, 1998
Sean Kelly Gallery, New York, Primitivism Revisited: After the End of an Idea, December 15, 2006 - January 27, 2007
Museum for African Art, New York, To Cure and Protect: Sickness and Health in African Art, February 7 - August 31, 1997; additional venues:
National Museum of Health and Medicine, Washington D.C., February 18 - August 23, 1999
Hillwood Art Museum, Long Island University, Brookville, August 26 - October 5, 2002
Sean Kelly Gallery, New York, Primitivism Revisited: After the End of an Idea, December 15, 2006 - January 27, 2007

Raoul Lehuard, Art Bakongo: les centres de style, Arnouville, 1989, vol. II, p. 633
Susan M. Vogel, Africa Explores: 20th Century African Art, New York, 1991: 261, cat. 126
Frank Herreman, To Cure and Protect: Sickness and Health in African Art, New York, 1999, no. 4
World Watch, May/June 1999, inside cover
Herbert M. Cole, Perpetuating the culture: African Images of Mother and Child, Brookville, 2002, p. 41

Good condition overall for an object of this type and age. Hairline cracks through fron and proper left side of base, front of legs, and reverse of proper left shoulder. Two long thin scratches through face. Superficial insect damage throughout with concentrations on infant's chest and head, the mother's proper left arm, shoulders, front of neck and proper right side of face. Aged medium brown patina with toning of insect-damaged areas. Surface waxed.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Lehuard (1989: 633) classifies the Rubin maternity group as Yombe sub-style K-5, a regional style that apparently focused on the creation of female figures.