Mossi Biiga or Doll / Fertility Figure

A tall, narrow figure with a mushroom cap head and an arm tucked at the side.

This biiga, a doll or fertility figure is Mossi, from Burkina Faso, West Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is carved wood. The figure is typically a flat or columnar wooden form with a stylized head, carved with a smooth surface and sometimes a distinctive hairstyle. A slim carved figure stands on a small round foot, with a smooth domed head on a long neck. A block-shaped torso carries one small arm folded against the body. The dark surface is worn and uneven. It is 1.4 inches wide, 2.3 deep and 12.3 high.

Tall, thin, and fully committed to its posture.