Mother and Child

1850-1950; Cameroon, Bamileke; Wood; height 59 cm (23 in.); Founders Society Purchase, Eleanor Clay Ford Fund for African Art; 79.22

Before being granted full power to rule, newly installed Bamileke kings were required to father a child to prove their ability to continue the royal lineage. The mother of the king's first child was commemorated by a sculpture of this type; she was often elected head of domestic affairs and placed in charge of the king's other wives. Emphasizing this royal power, the mother is shown dispassionately looking ahead, while her child's body seems agitated and almost contorted in the act of feeding. These figures were generally placed at the entrance to a royal residence.