Rare Chad Bagirmi Wood Fertility Doll - Abstract Form

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Indigenous Art - Ralph T. Coe Center, Santa F...

By Artemis Fine Arts

Aug 22, 2025

Set Reminder 2025-08-22 10:00:00 2025-08-22 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Indigenous Art - Ralph T. Coe Center, Santa Fe, NM https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/indigenous-art---ralph-t-coe-center-santa-fe-nm-20324
Featuring works of art from the Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a non-profit focused on promoting Indigenous Arts globally. All proceeds from the sale of these items will support future grants to Rehoming Program participants. Artemis Fine Arts info@artemisfinearts.com

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• Lot Description
  Central Africa, Chad, Bagirmi tribe, ca. early 20th century CE. A rare and finely balanced example of the small and elusive corpus of Bagirmi fertility dolls, carved from a single piece of dense, dark wood and worked into the distinctive tripartite form emblematic of this tradition. The upper element is the hemispherical head, deeply incised with radiating grooves to suggest coiffure, bisected at center by a raised crest with chevron detailing. The midsection forms a short, cylindrical neck supporting a horizontally projecting disc with incised geometric ornament. Below, the form flares into a broad, conical lower body, its surface engraved with concentric rings and angular motifs that echo textile patterns. Only about fifteen such statuettes are known, their scarcity underscored by a detailed 1994 study by Pierre Harter in Tribal Arts magazine. Produced in the region south of Lake Chad, these dolls were central to fertility rites conducted under the authority of village chiefs. Size: 2.4" L x 2.6" W x 7.8" H (6.1 cm x 6.6 cm x 19.8 cm)
  
  During ritual use, the figure was likely wrapped in cloth or leather and worn by young women - comparable to the Namji dolls of Cameroon - before being ritually abandoned. Some examples bear small holes or metal pins in the head to suspend amulets, a feature reminiscent of Ashanti akwaba figures.
  
  This example's abstract geometry and restraint of detail, focusing only on the hair crest and engraved surface patterns, reflects the symbolic purpose of these dolls - embodying idealized feminine presence rather than literal portraiture. Works of this kind are exceptionally rare, not least because Islamization in the region since the 17th century curtailed many traditional sculptural practices, though the carving of these dolls and related equestrian figures persisted into the 20th century.
  
  A similar though slightly larger (9.17 inches high) wooden Bagirmi doll hammered 30,480 euros (equivalent to $33,494 at the time) at Sotheby's Paris on June 21, 2023 ("Collection Helene Leloup, Le Journal d'une Pionniere, Vol. I," lot 12).
  
  Provenance: Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA, acquired in 2010 via descent; ex-private collection of Ralph T. Coe, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA, purchased in September 2004; ex-Taylor Dale Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
  
  All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
  
  A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
  
  We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
  
  #196062

  Condition

  A few minor nicks to surface, but, otherwise, intact and excellent with good remaining detail and rich patina.
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