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Whistle with Kneeling Female Figure and Child

19th–early 20th century

Not on view

This exquisite miniature sculpture depicts a kneeling female figure gazing forward while supporting an infant on her back. It is positioned at the tip of the conical horn of a duiker antelope. The form is a variety of whistle deployed in Kongo society by hunters and priests (banganga) in their metaphysical quests.

Whistle with Kneeling Female Figure and Child, Ivory, horn, Kongo peoples — This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Whistle with Kneeling Female Figure and Child, Ivory, horn, Kongo peoples

Whistle with Kneeling Female Figure and Child, Ivory, horn, Kongo peoples

Whistle with Kneeling Female Figure and Child, Ivory, horn, Kongo peoples

Whistle with Kneeling Female Figure and Child, Ivory, horn, Kongo peoples

Whistle with Kneeling Female Figure and Child, Ivory, horn, Kongo peoples

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.

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

Title: Whistle with Kneeling Female Figure and Child

Date: 19th–early 20th century

Geography: Democratic Republic of the Congo; Cabinda, Angola; Republic of the Congo

Culture: Kongo peoples

Medium: Ivory, horn

Dimensions: H. 6 in. (15.2 cm), W. 1 1/2 in (3.8 cm), D. 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm)

Classification: Bone/Ivory-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.