A fine Yombe maternity figure, Democratic Republic of the Congo

phemba, seated and tenderly supporting the baby with broad hands, the back with raised scarification, the head strongly pitched forward with heavy-lidded eyes inset with glass, and wearing a crested coiffure; handwritten label ('MAYOMBE - R.of Zaire 19 cent - RLKM') on reverse bottom; fine honey brown patina with residue.

Germaine Rodier, Paris
John J. Klejman, New York
Acquired from the above on January 3, 1975

Raoul Lehuard, Art Bakongo: Les Centres de Style, Arnouvilles, 1989, p. 582, fig. K 7-1-2

Good condition overall; tip of left ear chipped, loss to left back corner of pedestal; minor age crack through left side of pedestal; surface polished.
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.

The Rosenthal phemba has been classified by Lehuard (vol. II, 1989: 582) as a masterful example of the rare Yombe sub-style K 7. For another figure by the same hand in the Musée Royale de l'Afrique Centrale, Tervuren see id. (loc. cit., 582, fig. K 7-1-1).

Yombe maternity figures were used in association with women's cults. The iconography of the so-called phemba figures, a cross-legged woman in upright position, holding an infant and facing to the front, has two variants: first, the mother holding a living infant, possibly as a metaphor for the fertility of the people and the land; second, with the mother holding a dead infant as a symbol for the dignity and contemplation of the matriarch.