1983.49 Shrine figure of a deity (Baku-Mau)

The divine couple, Baku-Mau and his female consort Lebu-Hmoru, were worshipped as important fertility deities. Their images were carved in wood and adorned with highly prized antique trade beads. The deities generally wore crowns, and some photographs indicate that the crowns were spiked with offerings of pierced coconuts.

This male figure holds two infants close to his torso and positions them to face the outside world in a statement that projects masculinity. In contrast, the missing female counterpart holds two infants who are nursing and looking inward, creating an overall pose considered to be nurturing and quintessentially female.

Roslyn A. Walker, Label text, 2013.

1983: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, purchased though Pacific American Corp. (Steven G. Alpert), Dallas, Texas [1]

Notes:

The main source for this provenance is the Collections Records object card in the Collections Records object file (1983.49).

[1] The name of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, founded in 1933, was changed to the Dallas Museum of Art in 1983. 

Apply to objects where number equals 1983.49