height 10 1/2in (26.5cm)
pfemba, the standing female holding her infant in the crook of her left arm, its hand grasping her
breast, her right hand holding the infant's left leg against her abdomen, the mother wearing a conical cap, her eyes inlaid with semi-circular porcelain fragments, her open mouth revealing filed teeth, well-detailed scrolling ears with single perforations for ornaments (now missing), conical breasts, simply indicated fingers and toes, the feet resting on a square base; smooth, dark-brown patina.

Provenance:
TenHouten Family Collection, Museum of the University of Groningen, Netherlands
Marc Felix, Brussels
Jack and Constance Wallinga, Minneapolis

Published:
Catalog of the Volkenkundig Museum van der Leeuw - Rijksuniversiteit, Groningen, The Netherlands, 1974, cat. no. 484

Exhibited:
Icons of Perfection: Figurative Sculpture from Africa, Hamline University, 2005