Tabwa Wooden Sculpture of a Mother and Child, 20th Century CE
Wood
3.25 x 9.75
PF.5337
Further images
This statue shows a young female seated cross-legged on a pedestal decorated with crosshatchings around the sides. She holds a baby in her arms, its head resting at an angle...
This statue shows a young female seated cross-legged on a pedestal decorated with crosshatchings around the sides. She holds a baby in her arms, its head resting at an angle on the crook of her left arm as if asleep. Her exposed breasts are prominent; her long striated hair extends nearly to the middle of the back and away from the body. To the Tabwa, scarification patterns represent philosophical concepts connected with social values and the harmony of natural forces. In this case, a band composed of squares extends vertically from the middle of the head to the end of the nose with two horizontal bands: one across the cheek and the other over the upper chest below the neck stretching from shoulder to shoulder. The woman’s slightly parted almond shaped eyes give her a feeling of being in maternal bliss and her parted lips seem to speak in a whisper as her baby sleeps soundly.