🤱 Mother and Child in Arms – Shona Stone Sculpture, Zimbabwe

Embrace of love • Hand carved heritage • Spiritually grounding

This evocative 28 cm stone sculpture, hand carved by the renowned Shona artists of Zimbabwe, captures the timeless bond between mother and child. Sculpted from native serpentine stone, each piece radiates warmth, protection, and emotional depth—an enduring tribute to family, resilience, and the human spirit.

🪨 Crafted from Serpentine Stone

• Sourced from the ancient hills of Zimbabwe, serpentine is known for its rich texture, subtle colour variations, and spiritual grounding properties.
• Each sculpture is carved from a single piece of stone, then polished by hand to reveal its natural grain and gentle sheen.
• The stone’s durability ensures this piece will last for generations, becoming a cherished heirloom.

✋ Handmade by Shona Artisans

• The Shona people are globally celebrated for their expressive stone carvings—an art form that blends ancestral tradition with modern creativity.
• Your purchase supports fair trade practices and helps sustain artisan communities in Zimbabwe.
• Includes a storycard detailing the cultural significance and the artisan journey behind the sculpture.

💞 Symbolism & Emotional Resonance

• The mother and child motif represents unconditional love, protection, and the nurturing bond that transcends time and culture.
• Often gifted to new parents, caregivers, or those celebrating family milestones, this sculpture speaks to the heart.
• Its abstract yet intimate form invites reflection and connection, making it a meaningful centrepiece in any space.

🎁 Uses & Benefits

• Ideal for display in homes, offices, meditation spaces, or galleries.
• Encourages emotional grounding and mindfulness—perfect for therapists, educators, or spiritual practitioners.
• Makes a thoughtful gift for birthdays, anniversaries, or moments of transition and renewal.
• Pairs beautifully with other Shona sculptures or African artisan pieces for a curated collection.

This sculpture isn’t just art—it’s a story carved in stone, a celebration of love, and a tribute to the hands that shaped it. 

🪨 Shona
Stone Carving: Zimbabwe’s Living Art Form

The Shona people of Zimbabwe are world-renowned for their expressive stone
sculptures—an art movement that blends ancestral tradition with modern
creativity. Each piece is hand-carved from native stone and often reflects
themes of family, spirituality, and nature.

⛏️ 1.
Sourcing the Stone

• Sculptors
  mine serpentine, springstone, opal stone, and other local varieties
  from open-cast pits.
• Stones
  are chosen for their color, texture, and hardness, often based on
  the artist’s vision.

✏️ 2.
Sketching and Roughing Out

• Artists
  sketch the design directly onto the stone using charcoal.
• Using chisels,
  hammers, and punch tools, they strip away excess rock to reveal the
  basic form.

🪚 3.
Refining the Shape

• The
  sculpture is shaped with files, rasps, and grinders—or just hand
  tools when electricity isn’t available.

Fine details are added gradually, often
inspired by dreams, family stories, or spiritual beliefs

🧽 4. Sanding
and Smoothing

• Wet
  sanding with progressively finer sandpaper brings out the stone’s
  natural luster.
• This
  step is labor-intensive and may be shared among apprentices or family
  members.

🔥 5.
Polishing with Wax

• The
  sculpture is heated over fire or with a blowtorch to open the
  stone’s pores.
• Layers
  of clear wax are applied and buffed as the stone cools, creating a
  rich, glossy finish.

Shona carving isn’t just technique—it’s
storytelling in stone. Artists like Dominic Benhura and Colleen Madamombe have
elevated the form to global acclaim.

Caution – stone is fragile. It can be damaged if not handled
with care.

The stone is 100% natural so it will last generations if
handled with care.

The wax coating can be affected by UV rays from the sun …
should a piece become dull looking or get a scratch, you can let it warm in the
sun and apply a clear ‘carnauba wax’ or clear shoe polish. After applying, let
cool and buff with clean, soft terry cloth to renew the polished finish.

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