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Woman and Child
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
This mother-and-child figure was probably part of a cult concerned with the treatment of infertility. Both her jewelry and her seated pose indicate that the woman occupied a high rank in her community. Her miter-shaped hairstyle, chiseled teeth, and raised body scars--considered to be marks of beauty and perfection--signal that the woman incarnates the founding ancestor of a kinship group.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineWoman and Child, mid- to late 1800s. Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Yombe-style carver. Wood; overall: 26.2 x 9.2 x 7.4 cm (10 5/16 x 3 5/8 x 2 15/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund, 2003.35
