Doll with movable arms · Nigeria, Igbo/Ibibio · ID: 3037082
not available anymore
Provenance
Size
H: 57,5 cm
H: 22.6 inch
Description
light wood, remains of brown patina, red, black and yellow paint, nails, carved with necklace and broad belt around the hips, slightly dam. (nose), missing parts (right hand, feet, lobe on the parting), traces of insect caused damage, metal plate;
adolescent Igbo girls are, according to custom, secluded for a period of time prior to their initiation into adulthood. They are taught feminine skills and encouraged to gain weight so as to make them more attractive marriage partners. Dolls of the type shown here are given to them as images of ideal feminine beauty.
Comparing literature
Wittmer, Marcilene K. & William Arnett, Three Rivers of Nigeria, Atlanta 1978, p. 59, ill. 140