Maternity figure

The curvilinear forms and pronounced legs of this figure relate it to a modest corpus of divinatory sculptures engaged by Guro communities in central Côte d’Ivoire. Such sculptures might be commissioned by a monezodan (diviner) to be consulted and performed at public events addressing the concerns of his clients. One might also be created for an individual, who would maintain it on a private domestic altar as a form of spiritual protection. In both cases, the figures provided an ideal dwelling for zuzu (or zu—tutelary nature spirits), which are closely linked with ancestral power. They were typically commissioned following the revelation of a deceased relative in a dream. The recipient of this revelation would consult a monezodan who would interpret the dream and recommend the sculpting of a figure to honor that ancestor.




By the mid-twentieth century, this practice had significantly declined, and there are few surviving examples of this corpus. The majority of those documented portray young women of child-bearing age with muscular legs and arms depicted in the round, held away from their torsos. The inventive sculptor of this example further emphasized ideas of youth and fertility by incorporating the depiction of a child positioned on its mother’s back. Her sloping shoulders and arms wind backwards to support the infant’s legs. Her strength and vigor are foregrounded through her protruding buttocks, engaged legs, and firmly planted feet. These features invest her with the necessary attributes to serve as an ideal intermediary between the physical and supernatural realms.