KONGO MATERNITY FIGURE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO Made of wood and glass H.: 26 cm (10¼ in.) (Restoration work on the lower section) A Kongo maternity figure, Democratic Republic of the Congo Provenance: Collection of Camille Duyck (1885–1966), Brussels Pierre Dartevelle (1940–2022), Brussels Jean-Jacques Rotthier Collection (1932–2009), Brussels, then passed down through the family Exhibitions: Monaco, Forum Grimaldi, ‘Arts of Africa: 7,000 Years of African Art’, 16 July – 4 September 2005  Bibliography: *Arts of Africa. 7,000 Years of African Art*, Monaco: Skira, 2005, p. 336, no. 44c Dartevelle (Valérie) & Plisnier (Valentine), *Pierre Dartevelle and Primitive Art. Memory and Continuity, vol. II, 5 Continents, 2021, p. 296, fig. 368 This sculpture depicts a powerful female figure wearing a tall, voluminous headdress known as a mphemba, breastfeeding two children. In the matrilineal Yombe society, this distinctive headdress identifies her as a founding ancestor or the mother of a lineage. The two children she is nursing reinforce her association with fertility and the continuity of the lineage. This work occupies a unique place within Kongo statuary due to its unusual depiction of motherhood. Two children, rather than just one as is usually the case, cling eagerly to their mother. Combined with her unusual posture, they form a harmonious and powerful ensemble, imbued with remarkable energy. Sculptures of this type are generally associated with female fertility cults, which were particularly active between the late 18th century and the mid-19th century. This period was marked by significant social and demographic upheavals. Against this backdrop, Yombe women were called upon to take on increased responsibilities, balancing their traditional roles as mothers and guardians of the household with agricultural and economic tasks often assigned to men. Our sculpture thus embodies not only fertility, but also the continuity of the lineage, the stability of the community and its prosperity. A KONGO MATERNITY FIGURE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO Wood and glass H.: 10¼ in. (Restorations to the lower section) Provenance: Camille Duyck Collection (1885–1966), Brussels Pierre Dartevelle (1940–2022), Brussels Jean-Jacques Rotthier Collection (1932–2009), Brussels, then by descent Exhibitions: Monaco, Forum Grimaldi, ‘Arts of Africa: 7,000 Years of African Art’, 16 July – 4 September 2005  Bibliography: *Arts of Africa. 7,000 Years of African Art*, Monaco: Skira, 2005, p. 336, no. 44c Dartevelle (Valérie) & Plisnier (Valentine), *Pierre Dartevelle and Primitive Art. Memory and Continuity, vol. II, 5 Continents, 2021, p. 296, fig. 368   This sculpture depicts a powerful female figure wearing a high, elaborate hairstyle known as a mphemba, nursing two children. In Yombe matrilineal society, this distinctive hairstyle identifies her as a founding ancestress or the mother of a lineage. The two children she nurses further emphasise her association with fertility and the continuity of the lineage. This work occupies a unique place within Kongo sculpture through its unusual representation of motherhood. Two children, rather than the single child more commonly depicted, cling eagerly to their mother. Combined with her unusual posture, they create a harmonious and powerful composition animated by remarkable vitality. Sculptures of this type are generally associated with female cults linked to fertility, which were particularly active between the late eighteenth and the mid-nineteenth century. This period was marked by significant social and demographic upheavals. In this context, Yombe women took on increasing responsibilities, combining their traditional roles as mothers and guardians of the household with agricultural and economic tasks often entrusted to men. The image of this nurturing ancestress thus embodies not only fertility, but also the continuity of the lineage, the stability of the community, and its prosperity.