Doll (Akua'Ba)
date: label: Accession Date
content: 28 Aug 1992
label: Collection Date
content: 1966
name: label: Donor Name
content: Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden
notes: label: Notes
content: PROVENIENCE UNDOCUMENTED. IDENTIFICATION PROVIDED BY HMSG. VETTED BY WILLIAM FAGG & PHILIP DARK FOR HMSG. BOTH AGREED THIS IS NOT AS GOOD AS AN EXAMPLE AS 428191. JH PURCHASED FROM J J KLEJMAN OF NY IN 11/1/63. CARVED DARK-BROWN STYLIZED WOODEN FIGURINE SCREWED TO ROUND, FLAT BLACK METAL BASE. FIGURINE HAS THIN, MISSHAPENED OVOID HEAD. STYLIZED FACIAL FEATURES INCLUDE INCISED BROWS, CARVED EYES & SMALL MOUTH, SHARPLY CARVED NOSE, & SCARIFICATIONS ON CHEEKS. HAS PIERCED HOLES W/ RED WOODEN EARRINGS STRUNG ON WIRE. TOP OF HEAD HAS HOLE W/ COTTON LOOP. BACK OF HEAD HAS INCISED CURVILINEAR DESIGN. BODY IS CYLINDRICAL, TRUNCATED AT BOTTOM W/ ROUND BASE. RIDGED NECK, SHORT CYLINDRICAL ARMS, EXTENDED AT RIGHT ANGLES TO BODY. END OF EACH ARM HAS HOLE W/ LOOP OF MULTICOLORED GLASS BEADS STRUNG ON COTTON STRING. BODY HAS PROTRUDING NAVEL & INCISED V-SHAPED DESIGN ABOVE BREASTS. BASE BOTTOM HAS LABEL "SF 66.21." CONDITION: COTTON LOOP HAS FRAYED ENDS. SOME ENCRUSTATIONS ON NECK, ARMS, EARRINGS, & BASE. THE "AKUABA" FIGURES ARE WORN AGAINST THE BACK OF AN EXPECTANT MOTHER TO FOSTER THE BEAUTY OF THE COMING CHILD & OTHER FUNCTIONS (P 52, AFRICAN ART IN MOTION, ROBERT FARRIS THOMPSON, U OF CA PRESS 1974).
label: Notes
content: SI ARCHIVES ACC. 86-136, BOX 1
label: Record Last Modified
content: 6 May 2024
label: Specimen Count
content: 1
place: label: Place
content: Not Given, Ghana (not certain), Africa (not certain)
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
culture: label: Culture
content: Ashanti (Asante) (?)
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anthropology
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 370312
label: USNM Number
content: E428190-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Doll
physicalDescription: label: Length - Object
content: 40.5 cm
label: Width - Object
content: 16.4 cm
label: Height - W/base
content: 7 cm