Museum collection · Art Institute of Chicago · 125774
Mother-and-Child Figure (Bwanga bwa Chibola)
Luluwa Democratic Republic of the Congo Central Africa, Mid–late 19th century
Art Institute of Chicago · Wirt D. Walker Fund · Public domain
- Artist
- Luluwa Democratic Republic of the Congo Central Africa
- Date
- Mid–late 19th century
- Medium
- Wood and pigment
- Dimensions
- 28.9 × 8.6 × 8.2 cm (11 3/8 × 3 3/8 × 3 1/4 in.)
- Era
- Museum collection
Why it matters
This delicate rendering of a mother holding her newborn child celebrates human fertility. The figure was related to rituals dedicated to helping women with childbirth and preventing infant mortality. Scarification patterns, hairstyles, jewelry, and anatomical details expressed the Luluwa concept of bwimpe , which unites beauty with goodness. Such figures may have served as both containers for medicine and symbols of status, reflecting societal changes in the latter half of the 19th century.