500324 Mother-and-Child Figure, mid to late 1800s (wood) by Congolese School, (19th century); 26 cm; Cleveland Museum of Art, OH, USA; (add.info.: This mother-and-child figure was probably part of a cult concerned with the treatment of infertility. Both her jewelry and her seated pose indicate that the woman occupied a high rank in her community. Her miter-shaped hairstyle, chiseled teeth, and raised body scars--considered to be marks of beauty and perfection--signal that the woman incarnates the founding ancestor of a kinship group. ); Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund; African, out of copyright.