48 - Phemba Motherhood Figure

Phemba Motherhood Figure with an intense expression Wood, with an antique honey-colored patina from use; slight erosion on the base; chips and cracks. Yombe, Mayombe region, Democratic Republic of the Congo. 26 x 12 x 10 cm Among the Yombe people of the Mayombe region, the so-called “phemba” mother figures are among the most accomplished creations of Kongo art. In this society where lineage is passed down through the female line, the name “phemba,” or “mpemba,” refers to the founders of clans, and the hairstyle bearing this name signifies this status. The mother does not look at the child she is holding: she embodies the ancestor from whom the entire lineage descends, and the small body resting on her lap symbolizes the continuity she ensures. These figures are associated with a female fertility cult that flourished between the late 18th and mid-19th centuries; their precise purpose remains a subject of debate, as some have been described as divination tools, while others are seen as commemorative effigies. What first strikes the viewer about this specimen is the presence of its face. Turned toward the sky, it conveys a rare intensity through its elongated eyes, mouth slightly parted to reveal the teeth, and strongly defined ears—an intensity that is further enhanced by the headdress. The slender bust, set off by a long neck, is adorned on the shoulders and arms with raised scarification marks arranged in regular rows, whose tight rhythm echoes the smooth surfaces of the face and torso. The mother, seated cross-legged, cradles the child lying on her lap; the quadrangular base, adorned with incised geometric motifs, completes this masterfully executed composition. The age of the piece, the precision of the incised decoration, and the vigor of the modeling place it among the finest examples of this body of work. Documentary reference: Brooklyn Museum, New York, figure of a mother with child (phemba), Yombe, 19th century, inv. 22.1138. General bibliography: Raoul Lehuard, *Les Phemba du Mayombe. Les figures sculptées dites “phemba” du Mayombe*, Arnouville, Arts d’Afrique Noire, 1977. Milène C. Rossi, *Les Phemba*. A Mother, a Child, Influences?, Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, Éditions Sépia, 2014.