Makonde — Tanzania
Circa 1920
Wood with glass bead eyes
Height: 14 in (35.6 cm)
Provenance: Private collection, Paris; Bryan Reeves, London
This standing female figure is carved from a single piece of dense hardwood, depicting a mother with arms held close to the body and hands resting at the abdomen, while the infant is rendered in low relief at her back with arms extended to either side. The face is naturalistically modeled with glass bead eyes inset at the sockets, and the surface carries a deep even patina consistent with age and use. The compact proportions and restrained posture are consistent with Makonde figures produced in the early colonial period, prior to the more elongated and stylized forms that developed in subsequent decades.
Mother and child figures occupy a central place in Makonde sculptural traditions, reflecting the cultural emphasis on fertility, maternity, and the continuity of lineage within initiation and ancestral veneration contexts. The piece predates the 1972 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property. It passed through a private Paris collection before entering the collection of Bryan Reeves, London.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Makonde — Tanzania
Circa 1920
Wood with glass bead eyes
Height: 14 in (35.6 cm)
Provenance: Private collection, Paris; Bryan Reeves, London
This standing female figure is carved from a single piece of dense hardwood, depicting a mother with arms held close to the body and hands resting at the abdomen, while the infant is rendered in low relief at her back with arms extended to either side. The face is naturalistically modeled with glass bead eyes inset at the sockets, and the surface carries a deep even patina consistent with age and use. The compact proportions and restrained posture are consistent with Makonde figures produced in the early colonial period, prior to the more elongated and stylized forms that developed in subsequent decades.
Mother and child figures occupy a central place in Makonde sculptural traditions, reflecting the cultural emphasis on fertility, maternity, and the continuity of lineage within initiation and ancestral veneration contexts. The piece predates the 1972 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property. It passed through a private Paris collection before entering the collection of Bryan Reeves, London.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
