Seated upon a stool, the foremost symbol of royal authority in Africa, this sculpture most likely represents a queen mother. Her intricately styled coiffure featuring a central crest, two large bunds on the side, and two braided locks that fall along her neck and rest on her shoulders reflects her high-ranking status and overwhelming beauty. Futhermore, the raised scarifications that cover her face and body are considered both prestigious marks of rank as well as symbols of her sexual desirability. Certain specific scars, like the grid pattern in between her eyes and on the sides of her mouth are indicative of the Baule people and would identify her as a part of this tribe. Clearly, this woman is a person of noble rank who held an esteemed role within her society. Most likely, this sculpture was commissioned by her relatives after she passed away to commemorate her life.
The Baule people believed that the spirits of the deceased continued to play an active role in the life of their descendants. By creating memorial sculptures and presenting it with proper sacrifices and libations, the relatives of the deceased could influence the favor of the spirit. It is likely that this woman was particularly fertile, as evident by the two children seated on her knees, both of whom reach up and clasp her breasts, and the child on her back who clings on tightly to her. By honoring this woman and her fecundity, her ancestor would hope to invoke her reproductive powers so that they too can bear many children and be blessed with a large family. This sculpture depicts the penultimate African mother queen, a woman of such beauty and fecundity that her memory continues to influence the lives of her ancestors.