In Celtic mythology, Dea Matrona ('Divine Mother') was the goddess who gives her name to the river Marne (ancient Matrŏna) in Gaul. She was also known as the Dea Nutrix or nursing goddess and well into the Roman period, many Gaulish religious images—including terracotta statues such as this were mass-produced for use in household shrines and burial arrangments. They depict mother goddesses nursing babies or holding fruits, other foods, or small dogs in their laps. In many areas, such Matronae were depicted in groups of three, or as a triad, with a mother and two twins.
