Biga fertility doll, Mossi, Burkina Faso - Lot 26

Biga fertility doll, Mossi, Burkina Faso Early 20th century Carved wood Height: 27 cm Provenance : French private collection ---- Biga fertility doll, Mossi, Burkina Faso Early 20th century Carved wood Height: 27 cm Source: French private collection Appearing for the first time in specialized literature in 1921, in the second edition of Les Mossi. Essai sur les us et coutumes du peuple mossi au Soudan occidental by Abbé Eugène Mangin, carved wooden biga dolls are mentioned in a brief note: "... the little girls have their wooden dolls, and on important feast days, they come politely to show them off with great solemnity, and whoever takes the doll to hold it for a while must give the child a few cowrie shells when he gives it back". In 1964, in his study of the Mossi, Leonhard Meurer proposed a classification of these fertility dolls into three stylistic categories. Suzanne Lallemand also provides valuable information in her 1973 article, "Symbolisme des poupées et acceptation de la maternité chez les Mossi". In it, she explains that, although they have the physical attributes of the mother (ma), the dolls are still referred to as children (biiga) by the young girls, who consider them as such, giving them names and dressing them in pieces of cloth. Our object's remarkable hairstyle can be found in many regional styles and, as such, cannot be considered a distinctive stylistic criterion. This hairstyle is characterized by a long, stylized appendage projecting to the front of the head, reminiscent of the hair braid traditionally worn by unmarried girls, and then worn on the back of the head after marriage. The cylindrical body, marked by linear scarification marks, features a swollen umbilical zone. The protruding, conical chest, a symbol of fecundity, illustrates this "archetypal fertility figure", which Ladislas Segy associates with biga dolls. The neck, straight and slender, supports the small, half-spherical head. The whole is enhanced by a superb brown patina, smooth and shiny, testifying to its use not by a young girl, but by a woman wishing to procreate, having lavished successive applications of vegetable oil to activate the effigy's protective power. First mentioned in the specialized literature in 1921, in the second edition of the work Les Mossi. Essai sur les us et coutumes du peuple mossi au Soudan occidental by Abbé Eugène Mangin, the carved wooden Biga dolls are briefly noted: "... young girls have their wooden dolls, and on important festive days, they politely bring them to show with great solemnity, and the one who holds the doll for a moment must give the child a few cowries when returning it." In 1964, Leonhard Meurer proposed a classification of these fertility dolls into three stylistic categories in his study on the Mossi. Lastly, Suzanne Lallemand provides valuable information in her 1973 article "Symbolisme des poupées et acceptation de la maternité chez les Mossi." She explains that, although these dolls display the physical attributes of the mother (ma), they are always referred to as children (biiga) by young girls, who consider them as such, giving them names and dressing them in pieces of cloth. The remarkable hairstyle of our object appears in many regional styles and should not, therefore, be considered a distinctive stylistic criterion. This hairstyle is characterized by a long, stylized appendage projected to the front of the head, evoking the braid traditionally worn by unmarried girls, which is then worn at the back of the head after marriage. The cylindrical body, marked by linear scarifications, features a swollen umbilical area. The chest, prominent and conical, symbolizing fertility, clearly represents this "archetypal figure of fertility," which Ladislas Segy associates with the Biga dolls. The straight and elongated neck supports the small, hemispherical head. The entire composition is enhanced by a superb brown patina, smooth and shiny, reflecting its use not by a young girl, but by a woman wishing to conceive, who has applied successive layers of vegetable oil to activate the protective power of the effigy. The statuette has a beautiful, shiny patina from use. Nuances of tonality attest to the different frictions on the breasts and umbilicus. A vertical crack appears on the left breast, at the base of the neck. Good overall condition. --- On the whole of the statuette a beautiful glossy patina, usual. Shades of tones attesting to the different frictions at the level of the breasts and the umbilicus. A vertical crack appears on the left breast, at the neck. In good general condition.