African fertility carving

Hi Folks

something i bought this week on ebay for not very much as it was poorly pictured and described

although its quite crudely carved i thought there looked something authentic about it

there looks to have genuine wear around the decoration handling middle part

could be wrong of course as there are alot about that look made yesterday

measures 9 1/2 inches

any information about this piece or comments very much appreciated

 

Ashanti is likely the key term to search for this.

 

Most certainly. I see similar ones around every now and then.

 

Akuaba ... & I doubt this is recent..... I'd think more towards the 1960's.... give or take......
I'd have snagged too !!!

 

awesome, thanks kome

 

A few things about your akua'ba doll are atypical/non-traditional, which may indicate it is a recent version made for sale. Here is an example of a more traditional form -

https://www.hamillgallery.com/ASANTE/AsanteAkuabas/AsanteAkuaba21.html

Because the dolls are carried tucked at the back of a woman's sash, they usually do not have integral stands that allow them to be free standing objects, and separate legs are usually not depicted. Although they are believed to help a woman conceive, they are generally not depicted as already pregnant. They also have at least vestigial breasts, which I cannot see on your figure (although maybe it is just the lighting).

Here is an example at the Met with a more naturalistic body, which is also described as atypical -
"Full-bodied figures such as this are believed to be a recent twentieth-century innovation within the akua'ba sculptural tradition."
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/312279

And a bit on akua'ba dolls from Antiques Road Show -
https://www.pbs.org/video/antiques-roadshow-appraisal-ashanti-akuaba-dolls-ca-1960/

 

that's 25 inches and a much more recent carving

 

https://www.hamillgallery.com/ASANTE/AsanteAkuabas/AsanteAkuaba21.html

this was collected in 62'.....it was not made in 1962 !!!

 

What is your point? And why are so many exclamation points required? Do you mean to be yelling?

I posted it as an example of the more traditional style, with the benefit of an actual provenance which does say it was collected in 1962. Of course this implies it could have been made before then.

 

thanks for the info 2mb interesting stuff

 

c'mon 2mb.....my point is that what you showed... very traditional....is an antique, where as my comments do not go in that direction.

And please......
3 little exclamation points do in no way , on any platform ... suggest yelling....

Have I upset you in any way ?
if so...... tell me........tell us all !

 

Komo, it seemed clear that you were objecting to something, but it was not clear what you were objecting to. I am still not clear on what you were objecting to. My post was comparing traditional vs non-traditional features. I was not critiquing your suggested date. I try to find examples with some sort of provenance - the one I used just happened to have a 1960s date attached.

 

I see no reason I have to yell at you .... no reason to dis you or come at you sideways in any manner.......

We both commented on Charlies doll......
I objected to nothing.......but your link used a collection date , while I suspected a manufacture date......so I wanted to point that out ....

Strongly...... with extra exclamation ..

you seem to believe that in some way I took it personally......by yelling at you ..

I was not !

 

Lions an' Tigers an' Bears...oh, my!

 

I guess your eccentric emphasis can be easy to misunderstand.

 

Yes, I can be overly emotional at times.....but even easier to misunderstand when someone is looking to find fault .

& besides....I commented on a link , and mentioned nothing about your post which was helpful and informative , and I'm on my heals here wondering why..& what you took personally ?

 

I'm going to continue to engage on threads where we have similar interests.... like your basket thread..... while bearing in mind to be as factual & circumspect as possible to avoid any further misunderstandings.....

Komo