figure (communication artefact)

Ivory anatomical figure of a pregnant woman lying on a black stone pedestal, which is patterned with a lattice of strips of ivory. The figure has become detached from the base. One arm has also become detached, as has the pillow on which the figure's head should rest. The figure's intestines are removable, to reveal the baby underneath. The baby is carved from a separate piece of ivory, and was once attached to the figure with a length of string, representing an umbilical cord.

Collection Information

These objects are only a part of our collections, of which there are more than 350,000 objects. This information comes from our collections database. Some of this is incomplete and there may be errors. This part of the website is also still under construction, so there may be some fields repeated or incorrectly formatted information.

The database sometimes uses language taken from historical documents to help research, which may now appear outdated and even offensive. The database also includes information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities.

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