Ancient Egypt, New Kingdom, Ramesside Period, 19th and 20th Dynasty, ca. 1292 to 1070 BCE. A hand-carved limestone maternal effigy of a mother laying recumbent atop a slender bed while holding her suckling infant in her arms. The woman lays nude with her head turned to the left, her sidelock of hair trailing down her neck and right shoulder, while left arm supports her infant from underneath and her right arm directs the head towards her exposed breast. The bed itself is a tall, rectangular platform with a single remaining foot along the verso; this bed would have had a matching foot on the opposite end at one time. Thick remains of age-darkened pigment are still visible across the obverse and indicate how elaborate this sculpture would have looked when finished. Size: 2.625" L x 4.125" W x 9.25" H (6.7 cm x 10.5 cm x 23.5 cm)

Though maternal effigies like this example were perhaps carved for personal use, they were also likely deposited at shrines or temples as votive offerings. According to PhD candidate Charlotte Rose, "Previous theories suggested that these bed figurines were 'concubine figures,' they represented a divine mother, or that they were ritually broken to ward off evil spirits. However, new evidence suggests that Egyptians intended these figurines to be used as aids in fertility and birth, both in like and the afterlife." (Rose, Charlotte. "Childbirth Magic: Deciphering Bed Figurines from Ancient Egypt." Expedition Magazine 58.3 (2017), Penn Museum)

Exhibited in the Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art (RAFFMA), California State University, San Bernardino from 2005 to 2023, reference number EL02.001.2005.

Cf. another example of a mother and child at The British Museum, museum number EA2371, also at the Penn Museum, object number 29-71-817; for an example without a child, see The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 15.2.8.

Provenance: Collection of Dr. W. Benson Harer, Los Angeles, California, USA; Exhibited in the Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art (RAFFMA), California State University, San Bernardino from 2005 to 2023, reference number EL02.001.2005

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#179003

Repaired from 2 large pieces just above woman's breasts, with very light adhesive residue along break line. Losses below knees and along one corner of bed foot along underside as shown. Expected abrasions and nicks, with chipping and fading to painted surfaces, minor softening to finer details, and light earthen deposits, otherwise in excellent condition. Great preservation to mother figure.