Images(3)

Mother and child

Label TextA tall cap called mphemba indicates that this mother is worn by an illustrious woman who took on unusual power and responsibility. Her lips part to reveal cosmetically filed teeth and she wears only a tight, beaded cord around her chest. Such figures were placed on tombs of powerful women and could be petitioned in times of trouble.

Object number81.17.838

Provenance[Sulaiman Diané, New York]; purchased from gallery by Katherine White (1929-1980), Seattle, Washington, 1975; bequeathed to Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, 1981

Photo CreditPhoto: Paul Macapia

Exhibition HistorySeattle, 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. 160-1, reproduced pl. 80.

Credit LineGift of Katherine White and the Boeing Company

Dimensions3 1/4 x 3 7/8 x 3 1/4 in. (8.3 x 9.9 x 8.3 cm)

MediumWood, glass, and metal