Mossi Biiga or Doll / Fertility Figure, Based

Dress it. Carry it. Care for it like an infant. That was the assignment for a Mossi girl with a biiga.

The figures were associated with the hope of future motherhood. This one is wood, Burkina Faso, 20th century, nine and a half inches tall. The form is beautifully reduced: a tall cylindrical body on a round disc base, small conical breasts, and an elongated, crescent-shaped head with a simple profile and faint incised marks.

The wood has a dark, smooth, handled patina with a few small pale chips. It is presented on a square black base.

Everything extra has been taken away.