Kongo-Yombe Maternity Group, Democratic Republic of the Congo

John J. Klejman, New York
Abbott and Ruth Lippman, New York
Marc Lippman, by descent from the above
Sotheby's, New York, May 5, 1997, lot 188, consigned by the above
Myron Kunin, Minneapolis, acquired at the above auction

The African-American Institute, New York, African Women/African Art, September 13 - December 31, 1976

Roslyn Adele Walker, African Women/African Art, New York, 1976, p. 25, no. 12
No author, "Auctions: New York," Tribal Arts, Vol. IV, No. 1, Summer 1997, p. 44

According to Walker (2009: 206), "Among the Yombe, carved wooden human figures portray individual ancestors who may have founded a lineage or otherwise made important contributions to their families and communities.  Enshrined in small memorial houses in cemeteries, these idealized sculptures guard the dead, including their own remains, and provide a means of contact with the ancestor and other spirits in the realm of the dead (mpemba)."

The present figure from the collection of Myron Kunin is of exquisite sculptural quality and exhudes sublime beauty. While the scale and light weight of the wood indicate that it belongs to the tradition of wooden memorial figures discussed by Walker above, the sculptural quality of this particular example approaches that of the very finest small-scale phemba figures which are considered to be the apex of Yombe art, such as those by the famous so-called Master of Kasadi (see Bassani 2001: 163-175), who indeed is thought to have carved such larger-scale memorial figures, such as one in the Cleveland Museum of Arts (inv. no. "1997.149", see fig. 1).  Delicately painted in white, red, and black, she wears an ensemble of rich regalia including a leopard-tooth necklace, arm and chest bands, bracelets and anklets.  Her upper body is ornately tattooed with classic geometric Kongo designs, and both she and her child wear cap-like coiffures.  Her teeth, revealed by slightly parted lips, indicate her status as an initiated and high-ranking woman.

Discussing a related figure in the Dallas Museum of Art (inv. no. "1969.s.22") of similar scale, iconography, and function to the present maternity, Walker continues (ibid.): "Taken together, the attributes of this figure [and those of the present figure] - its coloring, posture, and guesture - and the presence of the child [...] indicate this woman's contribution was that of a 'spiritually imbued mother,' who was a great healer and protector of children."

Farris Thompson (1981: 125) describes a related figure from the Eduard von der Heydt collection at the Museum Rietberg, Zurich (fig. 2): "This splendid example of tomb statuary in wood is included [in his discussion of Kongo stone statuary] for its exquisiteness of line, form, and color.  Attributed to a master carver of the Yombe area, in northern Kongo, the image radiates importance [...]. The mother's lap symbolizes the competence and responsibility of a person of authority, powers in which the child lies, richly protected. [...] she not only embodies life, she also safeguards life by mystic means; thus, she shapes her people's destiny."

And he continues (ibid. 126): "It is important to realize how women are treasured in Kongo life, not only as nurturing forces, but also as seers and guardians of the spirit.  The Rietberg mother, with her child and her charm, leaves within our conciousness an indelible trace of whole histories of Kongo cultural strength".