One of the most known carvings in Africa are the Yombe carvings where by a mother was curved holding a child. This type of art was very common among the Yombe people. These carvings were very common during the 18th century. The carvings have remained attractive to date. They can be found in museums found in democratic republic of Congo (Sotheby, 56). The carvings were done by the Yombe people who are Africans who lived in the democratic republic of Congo. These people used wood to do their artistic activities. These carvings were usually of the size of 26 cm in terms of length. This culture had a significant meaning in among the Yombe people.
The artistic activity where by a child and mother was curved was mainly done by the women and not men. The objective of this was to praise the spirits who were worshiped by the Yombe people during the time in the hope that these spirits will make the Yombe women fertile. In addition, the women aimed at praising the spirits so that they would ensure that the health of the young children was good. After curving the artistic work, the women took the curved sculpture to shrines where the Yombe people used to worship (Werner, 36). This is because it was believed that the spirits that the women wanted to please lived in the shrines.
The sculpture was usually showing a Yombe woman preparing to breast feed a baby. The objective of this is to show that the Yombe women were people who were very responsible in taking care of their children. The sculpture was intended to show praise the Yombe woman for her great efforts in the Yombe community. According to the beliefs of the Yombe society, the Yombe women had good ways of taking care of their children which were different from the methods applied by other African societies. It was pleasure for the Yombe women to take care of the child. The women in this community highly valued child care.
The other important feature in the artistic sculpture is the breasts. The breasts were curved in such a way that they were pointed and had a good shape. This mainly demonstrated the beauty of the women. The breasts were important in the sculpture in that they were showing that the both the women and the child were healthy. The breasts were very important in assuring the health of the child and the mother. This is why the breasts were curved in such a way that they were attractive (Michael, 76).
In the sculpture, the women were shown as individuals who had shoulders that were round. In addition, the neck appeared to be thick. What this demonstrated was that the woman was a person who was strong in the society. The strength of the woman was necessary in the Yombe society because the woman needed the strength to take care of the child. Strength enabled the mother to find food for the child. In addition, the sculpture was meant to ask for the strength of a woman from the spirits worshiped by the Yombe community.
The sculpture had several marks on the shoulders, the chest and at the back. The marks were mainly demonstrating the beauty of the Yombe women. The Yombe people recognized their women being more beautiful than the women from other communities. These markings in the sculpture were therefore meant to emphasize on the beauty of the Yombe women.
The sculpture also had Jewells. This was showing that the Yombe women are people who knew how to improve their appearance hence making them more attractive to men. The sculpture also was demonstrating the fact that the women valued their beauty a lot and this is why they used jewels to make themselves appear more beautiful. The aim of this was to make them attractive to the women.
The sculpture also emphasized on the hairstyle of the women, the appearance of the teeth and also the necklace that the women wore during the period that was made of glass. Generally, the sculpture emphasized on the beauty of the women (Sotheby, 47).
In conclusion, it is widely recognized that the mother and child sculpture that was famous among the Yombe people is the most recognized artistic work in Africa. The sculpture recognized the women of individuals of high status in the society. It emphasized on the roles of the women in the society and meant to please the spirits so that they could assure the fertility of the women.
Works cited
Werner Gillon, A Short History of Art in Africa. Viking 1984
Los Angeles. Mother and Child in African Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art. New York. 1986. Print.
Michael C. Democratic Republic of Congo or Angola, Kongo peoples, Yombe group. Rockefeller Memorial Collection. 1986 print.
Sotheby R. The Kuhn Collection of African Art. Gaston de Havenon, New York 1991. Print.
