Figure: Mother and Child
This visual tribute to motherhood may have been conceived as a prayer for new life directed to familial ancestors. The Dogon master sculptor charged with its creation for an altar used a single cylindrical block of wood as his point of departure. The contours of the female figure emerge from that solid mass and are defined by pronounced angles. At the summit the exactingly defined arrangement of her hair in carefully plaited sections is an attribute of elegant refinement. At the very center of the composition the form of the child diagonally spans the vertical axis of its mother. Their seamless interconnection is apparent in the fluid integration of the infant that appears as one of its parent’s bodily appendages. The precious life that she nurtures is at once protectively shielded and lyrically folded within the recesses of her corporeal being.
Artwork Details
- Title: Figure: Mother and Child
- Date: 16th–20th century
- Geography: Mali
- Culture: Dogon peoples
- Medium: Wood
- Dimensions: H. 24 3/16 x W. 3 3/8 x D. 4 5/8 in. (61.5 x 8.6 x 11.7 cm)
- Classification: Wood-Sculpture
- Credit Line: The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1979
- Object Number: 1979.206.78
- Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
14th–17th century
"Barnes Foundation Master" (active late 18th–early 19th century[?], Bandiagara Escarpment, Mali)
18th–early 19th century
Bamana numu (blacksmith)
15th–17th century
Bamana numu (blacksmith)
15th–17th century
Middle Niger artist
13th century
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.