Mossi Biiga or Doll / Fertility Figure

A feather pattern is carved over the head, and every limb is covered in marks.

This Biiga or doll, a fertility figure, is Mossi, from Burkina Faso, West Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is carved wood. Mossi biiga dolls are generally made as abstract figures, and they are often linked to fertility and the care of children. This one has a high, domed head with radiating cut lines like feathers. A long neck rises from a ringed torso, scored with diagonal and crossed lines. A short arm flares from one shoulder, and the whole stands on a thick, rounded base. The wood is amber to dark brown with a warm gloss. It is 2.3 inches wide, 3 deep and 11.9 high.

The most decorated of its family.