A painted wooden figure of a seated woman cradling an infant across her lap, from the Igbo of Nigeria. White, black and red pigments, red cloth and beads give it a vivid appearance.

1. Form and Painting

The woman sits on a small stool, knees apart, with a high, ridged cap of dark hair. Her face is painted white, with wide black-rimmed eyes, a red mouth and short black facial marks on the cheeks and chin. A star-shaped mark is set on the forehead. Body and limbs are dark, decorated with white dots, bands and lizard-like motifs. Broad coils in red-brown wind around her arms and lower legs, and yellow anklets sit above the feet. Around her neck lie heavy ring-like necklaces and a strand of red cloth beads, with a red cloth strip falling beside the head.

2. The Child

The infant lies horizontally in her arms, its face painted in a lighter, pinkish tone, with a bracelet at the wrist.

3. Context

According to the collection catalogue, mother and child figures have a long tradition and are venerated among the Igbo, where they take on an almost sacral role. They are commissioned by sacrificial priests, handed over by the community and placed in shrines. Female fertility secures the continuity of the community, which is why such figures stand at the centre of cultic events.

Summary

A painted Igbo wooden figure of a seated mother cradling an infant, with a white face, red cloth and beads, and white patterning on a dark body.