Details

Title

Doll

Artist/Maker

Fali Artist, Cameroon

Date

Twentieth century

Medium

Wood, beads and fiber

Dimensions

5 1/2 × 2 3/4 × 1 1/2 inches

Credit

Purchase with funds from Pamola Powell and Guy Lescault

Accession #

2006.93

Location

Currently not on view

This highly ornamented miniature sculpture was made by a young man in Cameroon as a gift to his fiancée to celebrate their engagement. It wass conceived as an idealized image of a perfect child and functions as a symbol of the couple’s marriage commitment. The doll’s gender represents the future father’s desire for either a girl or a boy. Once married, the young bride cares for the beaded sculpture until the birth of their first child.