Fertility doll · Cameroon, Namchi · ID: 3033255
sold
EUR 280
Provenance
Harald & Ursula Suhr, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada / Germany (1985)Size
H: 31,5 cm
H: 12.4 inch
Description
wood, brown patina, strings of coloured glass beads, coins, massive shoulders, small head with crested coiffure, min. dam., slight traces of abrasion;
among the Namchi, unadorned dolls made by blacksmiths are young girl’s playthings. When beads, bells and coins are added, however, the doll becomes a surrogate baby for a woman who is having difficulty in getting pregnant.
Comparing literature
Cameron, Elisabeth L., Isn't she a doll? Los Angeles 1996, p. 76 ff.