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Collections

Unknown
Mother and Child Figure for the Gwan Associationcirca 1279-1395

On view:
Geffen Galleries, The Power of Objects in West and Central Africa
Carved wood sculpture of a seated figure holding a smaller figure against its chest, with a tall ridged headdress, rough tool-marked surface, and deep brown patina, mounted on a black base
Carved wooden figure of a seated woman holding a small figure to her chest, shown in three-quarter profile; rough-textured surface with dark patina, elongated neck and crested coiffure, arms extended forward, seated on a low stool mounted on a black base.
Carved wooden figure of a seated woman holding an infant, with an elaborate headdress, angular features, and rough-textured surface, mounted on a small stool and a dark square base.
Carved wooden figure of a seated woman holding a small child, shown in profile on a low stool, with an elaborate headdress and weathered, textured surface with aged dark patina.
Carved wooden seated figure with elongated pointed headdress, arms bent at the elbows holding a small figure at the chest, mounted on a rectangular black base; weathered dark brown surface with visible tool marks and aged texture.
Carved wooden figure of a seated female form with a small child held at the chest, upswept crested coiffure, elongated neck and torso, arms bent forward, legs resting on a low stool; weathered dark brown surface with visible tool marks and aged texture.
Carved wooden figure in profile, with an elongated neck, stylized crest headdress, and a smaller figure or animal form held at the torso; dark patinated surface with rough, textured tool marks throughout.
Bronze sculpture of a human head in profile, with a tall ridged crest atop the crown, stylized facial features, and a roughly textured surface with dark patina, mounted on a columnar neck.
Bronze bust in left profile, depicting a human head with heavily textured, roughly worked surface; elongated neck and flat, fin-like extension rising from the crown.
Bronze sculpture of a human head in profile, with roughly textured, deeply modeled surface and a broad flat plane extending from the crown. Dark patina, mounted on a narrow neck, photographed against a neutral gray background.
Bronze bust in profile view, depicting a human head with deeply textured, roughly worked surface; elongated neck rising from a narrow base, with broadly modeled facial features and a flat, layered form extending back from the crown.
Bronze bust in profile view, depicting a human head and neck with heavily textured, roughly modeled surface; dark patina with reddish undertones visible in the grooves; large layered form crowning the head.
Wooden figure in profile view, standing upright with an elaborate carved headdress, holding a smaller figure at the chest; deeply textured surface with dark, aged patina throughout.
Close-up detail of a wooden sculpture showing a bare foot resting on a circular platform supported by legs, with deeply weathered and heavily textured dark wood surface.
Wooden standing figure photographed in profile, with an elongated neck, crested headdress, and outstretched arms; heavily weathered surface with rough, deeply textured wood grain throughout.
Wooden figural sculpture with a large, roughly hewn head atop a narrow neck, showing heavily weathered and cracked wood grain texture with dark grey-brown patina, photographed in three-quarter profile against a neutral grey background.
Artist or Maker
Unknown
Title
Mother and Child Figure for the Gwan Association
Culture
Bamana people
Place Made
Mali
Date Made
circa 1279-1395
Medium
Wood
Dimensions
38 × 11 1/2 × 12 in. (96.52 × 29.21 × 30.48 cm) Mount: 39 × 12 × 12 in. (99.06 × 30.48 × 30.48 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of the 2013 Collectors Committee, with additional funds provided by Kelvin Davis and Bobby Kotick
Accession Number
M.2014.19
Classification
Sculpture
Collecting Area
African Art
Selected Bibliography
  • "Museum News: an Important New Sculpture at LACMA." Tribal Art no.70 (2013): 66.
  • Gifts on the Occasion of LACMA's 50th Anniversary. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2015.

  • Roberts, Mary Nooter. "The Inner Eye: Vision and Transcendence in African Arts." African Arts 50, no.1 (2017): 60-79.