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Figure: Seated Female Nursing Child

Kongo peoples; Yombe group

19th–early 20th century, inventoried 1924

Not on view

The most familiar and fundamental human relationship was a point of reference interpreted afresh by every Kongo sculptor. This woman’s gaze expresses the immense weight of the responsibilities she bears. In contrast, the infant that is sheltered within the negative space between her torso and lap appears unfettered. The locus of the composition is the axis that directs sustenance from her breast into his mouth with his outstretched arm. The mother’s body is densely covered with raised decorative accents on her chest, shoulders, and back that feature the same lozenge motifs that enhance Kongo decorative arts. This aesthetic emphasis on texture is further accented through the addition of raised dots that outline key features such as the arc of her brows and the circumference of each breast.

Figure: Seated Female Nursing Child, Wood, glass, metal, Kongo peoples; Yombe group — This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Figure: Seated Female Nursing Child, Wood, glass, metal, Kongo peoples; Yombe group

Figure: Seated Female Nursing Child, Wood, glass, metal, Kongo peoples; Yombe group

Figure: Seated Female Nursing Child, Wood, glass, metal, Kongo peoples; Yombe group

Figure: Seated Female Nursing Child, Wood, glass, metal, Kongo peoples; Yombe group

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Title: Figure: Seated Female Nursing Child

Date: 19th–early 20th century, inventoried 1924

Geography: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Bula Naku, near Tshela

Culture: Kongo peoples; Yombe group

Medium: Wood, glass, metal

Dimensions: H. 10 1/4 in. (26 cm), W. 4 in. (10.2 cm), D. 3 1/2 in. (8.9 cm)

Classification: Wood-Sculpture

Credit Line: Private collection

The Met

The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing at The Met

The Met's collection of art of the peoples of sub-Saharan Africa, the Pacific Islands, and North, Central, and South America comprises more than eleven thousand works of art of varied materials and types, representing diverse cultural traditions from as early as 3000 B.C.E. to the present.