DJENNÉ-JENO MATERNITY HOSPITAL INLAND NIGER DELTA, MALI Terracotta Date: 1250 AD ± 110 years, Alliance-Science Art certificate by Francine Maurer, dated 16 August 1994 H.: 42 cm (16½ in.) (Restorations) A Djenné-Jeno maternity figure, Inner Niger Delta, Mali Provenance: Claude-Henri Pirat, Brussels Jean-Jacques Rotthier Collection (1932–2009), Brussels, then passed down through the family Bibliography: Schaedler, (Karl-Ferdinand), *Earth and Ore: 2,500 Years of African Art in Terra-cotta and Metal*, Eurasburg, 1997, p. 55 Anne Leurquin, ‘La piste du Serpent’, in *Tribal Arts. Le monde de l’art tribal*, no. 20, Spring 1999, p. 71, illustrated on the cover and fig. 19, p. 74 de Grunne (Bernard), Djenné-Jeno: 1,000 Years of Terracotta Sculpture in Mali, Brussels, 2014, cat. no. 18 Motherhood is the most common iconographic theme within the corpus of Djenné-Jeno statuary, with twenty-two female figures recorded, which is more than the equestrian theme, which comprises eighteen sculptures. This exceptional depiction of motherhood expresses the idea of fertility inherent in the female condition through the presence of a child at the breast. This monumental representation of motherhood from the Djenné-Jeno culture is distinguished by the power of its volumetric composition. The treatment of the torso, together with the slight twist of the head, integrates the child’s complex, languid posture into a particularly masterful sculptural synthesis. The balance between the monumentality of the maternal figure and the suppleness of the child’s body lends the work as a whole a remarkable expressive power. A DJENNÉ-JENO MATERNITY INNER NIGER DELTA, MALI Terracotta Thermoluminescence dating: 1250 AD ± 110 years, certificate issued by Alliance-Science Art, Francine Maurer, 16 August 1994 H.: 16½ in. (Restorations) Provenance: Claude-Henri Pirat, Brussels Jean-Jacques Rotthier Collection (1932–2009), Brussels, then by descent Bibliography: Schaedler, (Karl-Ferdinand), *Earth and Ore: 2,500 Years of African Art in Terracotta and Metal*, Eurasburg, 1997, p. 55 Anne Leurquin, ‘La piste du Serpent’, in Tribal Arts. Le monde de l’art tribal, no. 20, spring 1999, p. 71, illustrated on the cover and as fig. 19, p. 74 de Grunne (Bernard), Djenné-Jeno: 1,000 Years of Terracotta Sculpture in Mali, Brussels, 2014, cat. no. 18 Maternity figures constitute the most frequently represented iconographic theme within the corpus of Djenné-Jeno sculpture, with twenty-two known female figures, surpassing the equestrian theme, which accounts for eighteen sculptures. This exceptional maternity figure expresses the concept of fertility inherent to womanhood through the depiction of a child at the breast. Monumental in scale, this Djenné-Jeno maternity figure is distinguished by the powerful structure of its mass and volume. The treatment of the torso, together with the subtle turn of the head, integrates the complex, languid posture of the child into a remarkably accomplished sculptural synthesis. The balance between the monumentality of the mother and the supple posture of the child endows the composition with exceptional expressive power.