Ashanti Seated Maternity Figure

Glossy dark figure with a patterned cap and a very composed face.

This seated maternity figure is Ashanti, from Ghana, West Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is wood. Maternity figures showing a mother with a child are among the most widespread subjects in African wood carving, and they are generally tied to ideas of fertility and continuity. Figure with a smooth, shiny black body, a long neck ringed with bands, and an oval face marked with fine cheek lines. A cap in patterned tones sits on the head, and a small form rests on the lap. It is 3.5 inches wide, 4 deep and 14.5 high.

Polished manner, polished surface, nothing out of place.