Mother and Child

Label TextNana Bonsu was a prolific carver, working for Asante chiefs and even American presidents. In this case, a drum ensemble commissioned him to carve a centerpiece for their performances. Formality prevails as this mother sits and portrays nursing as a symbolic act, not an emotional bond.

Object number81.17.323

Provenance[Merton D. Simpson Gallery, New York]; by exchange, to Katherine White (1929-1980), Seattle, Washington, 1961; bequeathed to Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, 1981

Photo CreditPhoto: Paul Macapia

Exhibition HistoryLos Angeles, California, Frederick S. Wight Art Gallery, University of California, African Art in Motion: Icon and Act, Jan. 20 - Mar. 17, 1974 (Washington, D.C., National Gallery of Art, May 5 - Sept. 22, 1974). Text by Robert Farris Thompson. No cat. no., pp. 46-48, reproduced pls. II (color), 50. Los Angeles, California, Frederick S. Wight Art Gallery, University of California, The Arts of Ghana, Oct. 11 - Dec. 11, 1977 (Minneapolis, Minnesota, Walker Art Center, Feb. 11 - Mar. 26, 1978; Dallas, Texas, Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, May 3 - July 2, 1978). Indianapolis, Indiana, Indianapolis Museum of Art, Egypt in Africa, Aug. 24 - Nov. 24, 1996. Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Art from Africa: Long Steps Never Broke a Back, Feb. 7 - May 19, 2002 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Oct. 2, 2004 - Jan. 2, 2005; Hartford, Connecticut, Wadsworth Atheneum, Feb. 12 - June 19, 2005; Cincinnati, Ohio, Cincinnati Art Museum, Oct. 8, 2005 - Jan. 1, 2006; Nashville, Tennessee, Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Jan. 27 - Apr. 30, 2006 [as African Art, African Voices: Long Steps Never Broke a Back]). Text by Pamela McClusky. No cat. no., pp. 24-25, reproduced pl. 2.Published ReferencesCole, Herbert M. and Doran H. Ross. The Arts of Ghana, cat., fig. 353, p. 176 McClusky, Pamela. African Art: From Crocodiles to Convertibles in the Collection of the Seattle Art Museum, Seattle: Seattle Art Museum, 1987; cat. no. 5, pp. 12-13, reproduced. Teeter, Emily. "Review: Egypt in Africa." African Arts, vol. 30, no. 2 (Spring 1997): pp. 70-72, reproduced.

Credit LineGift of Katherine White and the Boeing Company

Dimensions17 11/16 x 5 3/4 x 6 1/2 in. (45 x 14.6 x 16.5 cm)

MediumWood, gold, and silver leaf