Lwena Maternity Hospital (luena), Angola

Statue representing a seated mother. Her left leg slightly forward creates a certain dynamic. She is naked and carries the child in her arms. The child faces us, she presents it to us. She wears an inverted cone headdress. Her face is very determined and authoritative. She inspires respect. A necklace with a pendant is chiseled around her neck. Scarifications adorn her back, her face and her stomach, just above the sex. The child has one hand on her stomach and the other on her mother's stomach. She wears a traditional hairstyle that is generally seen on adults.
This type of motherhood symbolizes, through ancestor worship, transmission, lineage.
A label is stuck below the base.
It bears the inscription: "STATUETTE LWENA / Religious maternity / Cailliau-Dean Collection / No. 254 (H 26 cm)"
Wood with patina of use.
H: 26.5 cm
People, Lwena, Angola
Mid-20th century
Provenance: ex-Barbara Cailliau-Dean collection, Brussels