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Details
LOT 2392
African Wooden 'Akuaba Doll' Wedding Fertility Figure Pair
ASHANTI TRIBE, EARLY-MID 20TH CENTURY A.D.
14 1/8 - 14 3/8 in. (985 grams total, 36-36.5 cm).
Each with exaggerated discoid head, squat body with stub arms, standing on a conical base. [2, No Reserve]
Provenance
From Ghana, West Africa.
Ex private Cheshire, UK, collection.
From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.
Footnotes
Among the Ashanti people in Ghana, women hoping for offspring carry these ‘Akuaba dolls’ in their clothes. Traditionally, these ‘Akuaba’ have a large, round, flat head that is reminiscent of its origin as a representation of the moon goddess, which is associated with fertility. Once the ‘Akuaba’ figure has fulfilled its purpose, the mother of the desired child places it on her domestic altar, where it is worshipped in a shrine, or she passes it on to the next generation.
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LOT 2392
African Wooden 'Akuaba Doll' Wedding Fertility Figure Pair
Sold for (Inc. bp): £26
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