Fertility Doll - medium density wood - Akuaba - Asante - Ghana

Fantastic Akuaba Fertility Doll – Asante – Ghana In reasonably good state, but with many signs of long and intensive use. It dates to the 1930´s. Provenance: Ex – collection of the Fousseyni Ouatara family, Accra, Ghana. Obtained from them in 1977 by P. Westerdijk. Akuaba’s belong to the most imitated African art objects known to me. There are actually so many copies around that authentic, old pieces have become something of a rarity. This fine, genuine item was collected by Mr. Ouatara ’s father in Kumasi just after the second world war. The family owns a large collection of dolls of the Asante and Fanti as well as the Ewe and Brong. This piece has been carried around by a woman, stuck in her wrapper, at her back a lot, considering the worn state it is in. It is a rather large example, really fit for a lady. Due to the broadness of the face, the carver could place big eyes with long, narrow slits in the countenance, contrasting with the tinyness of the mouth. Nice line decorations on forehead and back; ringed neck, a sign of rich well-being. Beads about the neck and waist. Literature: Elisabeth L. Cameron: Isn’t s/he a doll? , Los Angeles, 1996, pp. 43 ff. Dimensions: 41 x 17 x 6 cm. People / Region: The Asante (Ashanti) live in Central Ghana. Material: medium density wood. Weight: 0. 518 kg. Sold with handwritten declaration of authenticity by Dr. P. Westerdijk, museum ethnologist and cultural anthropologist specialized, for over 50 years now, in the study of the material cultures in African nations that live south of the Sahara.