Maternity Djénné Middle Ages Terracotta Mali

Very beautiful and rare Djenné maternity terracotta. The woman has her head tilted slightly upwards and to her right. She holds her child with both hands. His body is covered with snakes, on his back, on his chest, on his face and on his arms. Metal base 20cm high Restorations We enclose the Qed Laboratoire thermoluminescence test of October 21, 2015 which confirms the medieval dating from the 12th-16th century. According to Bernard de Grunne, women making a sacrifice at the maternities could submit requests, for example the conception of one or two children, or childbirth if the pregnancy was prolonged abnormally. As in many cases, the children are depicted as adults in miniature suggesting that "the theme of women with children goes beyond its purely biological meaning". The figures would then represent a "mother of society", namely a deity or a legendary or founding ancestor. The human figures covered with snakes represented very important characters - notably kings, queens or chiefs - who had the power to command the snakes. (...) Both were powerful and feared. Bibliography Bernard de Grunne, Djenne, Jeno. 1000 years of terracotta sculpture in Mali, Brussels, Mercator Fund, 2014