Mossi Biiga or Doll / Fertility Figure

Thirteen and a half inches of dark wood, rubbed nearly black by hands.

Mossi girls in Burkina Faso carried and tended such dolls as if they were infants, and the biiga remained linked to the wish for children and a healthy family. This one, wood and leather, was made in the 20th century.

A broad, rounded crest for a head. A long cylindrical neck. A squared chest with sharply projecting breasts, a slightly bowed body, a round foot. The surface is worn from years of handling, with small losses at the crest.

The wear tells you it was loved. That much is plain.