Additional information
| Ethnic Groups | |
|---|---|
| Regions | |
| Primary Materials |
Leather-Sheathed Mossi Kaya Doll
According to Christopher Roy and Thomas Wheelock, Mossi dolls served a purpose on two levels. First and foremost, these child images were playthings for young girls, functioning as an educational medium through which the responsibilities of motherhood are acted out, practiced and imprinted. Secondarily, dolls served as a symbolic surrogate child for a woman to display to the ever-watchful spirits that she was worthy and deserving of the blessings of motherhood. For the Mossi, if such a woman then becomes pregnant, the doll is a blessed object; it is ritually fed the mother’s first drops of milk and then secreted away as a sacred object that can be passed on through generations. Such cherished dolls have a notably richer, more indulgent patina than played-with dolls. They begin their lives as finer carvings as well. This particular doll from the Kaya region of Burkina Faso, entirely sheathed in leather, was a much loved and cared for ritual object, rather than a plaything. Ex New York private collection, acquired before 1975. Vintage, Peter Sinclair base. $500
10″
