Ernest Mancoba
Catalogue Raisonné
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Catalogue

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Photo: Johannesburg Art Gallery; © Ferlov Mancoba Foundation
African Madonna
1929
Alternate titles: (formerly) Bantu Madonna; Bantu Madonna; Black Madonna; Madonna
Period
South Africa (1925–38)
Medium
Wood (yellowwood)
Dimensions
86.3 x 21.8 x 17.3 cm (34 x 8 9/16 x 6 13/16 in.) including base
Base: 5.3 cm (H. 2 1/16 in.)
Signature/Inscription
Signed, dated, and inscribed back base: 1929 E. Mancoba
Collection
Johannesburg Art Gallery, Johannesburg (1994-07-13)
Catalogue number
S.001
Provenance
St Mary's Chapel at Grace Dieu Diocesan Training College, Pietersburg South Africa (artist commission);
Order of the Anglican Sisters of the Holy Paraclete, Manzini, Swaziland (by transfer c.1953);
Johannesburg Art Gallery, Johannesburg (purchased 1994)
Published References
RANKIN 1989
Rankin, Elizabeth. Images of Wood: Aspects of the History of Sculpture in 20th Century South Africa. Johannesburg: Johannesburg Art Gallery. Exhibition catalogue, p. 28 ill. (b/w), as Madonna, 1929, yellowood, reproduced photograph courtesy of the Archives of the Church of the Province of South Africa.
OLIVIER 1992
Olivier, Gerrit. "Speurtog na die ontwyken de Mancoba (Search for the elusive Mancoba)." Die Suid Afrikaan (South Africa) (1992-06/07).
MILES 1994
Miles, Elza. Lifeline out of Africa: the Art of Ernest Mancoba. Johannesburg; Cape Town: Human & Rousseau, 1994, cat. no. 1, p. 21 ill. (b/w), as Bantu Madonna, 1929, 86 x 22 x 17 cm, yellowwood, also African Madonna/Madonna; inscribed back on base: 1929 E Mancoba.
NAIDOO 1994
Naidoo, Charmain. "On the trail of a legendary artist." Sunday Times (South Africa), 1994-11-01.
MLANGENI 1995
Mlangeni, Bongiwe. "After 56 years, he's back to his roots." The Star, 1995-01-17.
VAN ROOYEN 1996a
van Rooyen, Johan. "Distinguished South African artist brought to SA to receive honorary doctorate." VUKA SA (1996-05).
MILES 1997
Miles, Elza. "Ernest Methuen Mancoba." In Land and Lives: a Story of early Black Artists, Elza Miles. Johannesburg: Human & Rousseau, 1997, p. 136 ill., as Madonna, 1929, 86 x 22 x 17 cm, yellowwood, collection of Johannesburg Art Gallery.
RANKIN 2003
Rankin, Elizabeth. "Africanising Christian Imagery in Southern African Missions." English in Africa 30/2 (October 2003), fig. 3, as Madonna, 1929, yellowwood, Collection of Johannesburg Art Gallery.
THOMPSON 2006
Thompson, Bridget. In the Name of All Humanity, the African Spiritual Expression of Ernest Mancoba. Exhibition catalogue (2006–07 Cape Town), plate 3, as African Madonna, 1929, 86 x 22 x 17 cm, yellowwood, collection of Johannesburg Art Gallery.
HASSAN 2010
Hassan, Salah M. "African Modernism: Beyond Alternative Modernities Discourse." South Atlantic Quarterly 109:3 (01 July 2010), fig. 1, as African Madonna, 1929, 86 x 22 x 17, yellowwood, collection of the Johannesburg Art Gallery.
SMALLIGAN 2010
Smalligan, Laura. "The Erasure of Ernest Mancoba: Africa and Europe at the Crossroads." Rasheed Araeen. Third Text 24:2 (26 March 2010), ill. in b/w, p. 269, as Bantu Madonna, 86.3 x 21.8 x 17.3 cm, collection of Johannesburg Art Gallery.
CARMAN 2011
Carman, Jillian. In Visual Century: South African art in context 1907-2007, 4 Vols. Volume one, 1907-1948, Pissarra, Mario. Johannesburg: Wits University Press, ill. p.94, as Bantu Madonna, 1929, 86 x 22 x 17 cm, wood, collection of Johannesburg Art Gallery.
SZE 2018
Sze, Winnie. "Ernest Mancoba: Visible Man, Invisible Work?" Nick Aiken and Caroline Hancock. Deviant Practice: Research programme 2016-17 (Van Abbemuseum [Eindhoven]), 2018, fig. 4 ill., as Black Madonna, 1929, collection of Johannesburg Art Gallery.
COHEN 2020
Cohen, Joshua I. "Mancoba between Paradigms." In The "Black Art" Renaissance: African sculpture and modernism across continents. University of California Press, August 2020, fig. 73 ill., as Bantu Madonna, 86 x 22 x 17 cm, yellowwood, collection of Johannesburg Art Gallery.
Commentary

Ernest Mancoba learned to carve at the woodworking workshop of the Anglican Church Diocesan College, Grace Dieu, Polokwane (formerly Pietersburg) South Africa. This sculpture was possibly a commission from the College and it was exhibited at St Mary's Cathedral, Johannesburg during Lent in 1933 (source: Miles 1994).

In 1953, when South African apartheid laws restricted the type of education available to Black South Africans, the Order of the Sisters closed Grace Dieu and continued their work in Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), taking the sculpture with them.

On the occasion of Mancoba's retrospective at the Johannesburg Art Gallery in 1994, curator Elza Miles successfully petitioned the Order to sell the work to the Gallery (source: letters in JAG archive).

Entry last updated 3 September, 2025.
Please note the catalogue is a work in progress and Stage one only includes works in public and quasi-public collections.
Citation: Sze, Winnie. "African Madonna, 1929 (S.001)." In Ernest Mancoba: Catalogue Raisonné. Copenhagen: Ferlov Mancoba Foundation. cr-mancoba.ferlovmancoba.com/catalogue/entry.php?id=S.001 . (Accessed on 4 June, 2026)