African, Oceanic and Pre-Columbian Art

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Lot 141
  • 141

A Superb Yombe Seated Maternity Figure, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 USD
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Description

pfemba, the female figure with crossed legs, a belt with a single cowrie on the back around the waist, and almond shaped scarification on front and back of the upper body, holding an infant in her hands, the eyes inset with mirrors; fine aged patina.

Provenance

Ernest Ohly, Berkeley Galleries, London
Acquired from the above, 1964

Exhibited

Museum of African Art, Washington D.C., 1964-1982

Catalogue Note

Yombe maternity figures were used in association with women's fecundity cults. The iconography of the so called pfemba figures, a cross-legged woman in upright position, holding an infant and facing to the front, can be interpreted in two ways: first, as a metaphor for the fertility of the people and the land, second as symbol for matriarchy. The Silberman pfemba is a spectacular example for the second option. Distinguished by the refinement of the carving and the power of the mother's posture it evokes more the presence of a nkisi than an image of motherhood. For a closely related example with similar hairstyle and facial features cf. Lehuard (1989, vol. 2: 565, fig. K 3-5-4); also published by Gallerie Deletaille (advertisment) in Arts d'Afrique Noire, 47, Automne 1983, p. 4.