Mossi Biiga or Doll / Fertility Figure

Cross-hatched head, folded arms, and a base like a small drum.

Mossi carvers of Burkina Faso, West Africa, made this biiga doll in wood in the 20th century. Biiga, meaning child, are carried and cared for by Mossi girls and women and are associated with fertility and motherhood. This one has a tall, narrow head with a pointed face and a forehead of diagonal incised lines. The torso is a broad flat plate with fine geometric incision, and the arms are folded against it. A rounded bowl-shaped foot rests on a slim black mount. The wood is dark with a soft sheen.

About sixteen inches tall. Serious in profile, and gentle on a mantel.