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Figure: Seated Female Supporting Figure Clasping Her Breast

19th–early 20th century
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
In this interpretation of the “mother and child” dynamic by the Master of Kasadi, there is greater interaction between the male and female protagonists. Most striking is the fact that the secondary male reaches out to grasp the woman’s left breast with his right hand and emphasizes his genitalia with his left. The procreative nature of his pointed gestures suggests the work’s role in furthering prayers for new life.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Figure: Seated Female Supporting Figure Clasping Her Breast
  • Artist: Master of Kasadi
  • Date: 19th–early 20th century
  • Geography: Democratic Republic of the Congo; Republic of the Congo; Cabinda, Angola
  • Culture: Kongo peoples; Yombe group
  • Medium: Wood, glass, kaolin
  • Dimensions: H. 10 3/4 in. (27.3 cm), W. 5 3/4 in. (14.6 cm), D. 5 in. (12.7 cm)
  • Classification: Wood-Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Collection of Drs. Daniel and Marian Malcolm, Tenafly, New Jersey
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing