BoW-52 / Biiga, Mossi, Burkina Faso

Height: 9.5 in / 24.13 cm & 10 in / 25.4 cm

ex Thomas G. B. Wheelock, USA

Wood, pigment, leather, string

Mossi biiga figures are generally understood as protective and spiritually charged objects associated with children, fertility, and the well-being of the household. The term biiga itself refers to a child, and such figures were kept close and were carried, wrapped, secured, or placed nearby to safeguard vulnerable children and reinforce their spiritual presence. They were not conceived as decorative objects, but as purposeful forms whose power was activated through proximity, handling, and use rather than display.

These two highly abstract and early Mossi biiga figures come from the renowned collection of Thomas Wheelock. One is wrapped in leather, the other left in plain wood, but both share a striking economy of form and a strong sense of age and use. The drilled holes at the neck suggest the former presence of attachments, likely leather, cord, or other organic materials, to be used as mentioned above.

$600 plus shipping for the pair