Akuaba Fertility Doll – Asante, Ghana

This finely carved Akuaba fertility doll comes from the Asante people of Ghana and measures 30 cm in height. Its elegant form, with the characteristic large, disc-shaped head, ringed neck, and abstract stylization, embodies the Akan ideal of beauty, health, and fertility.

Akuaba dolls are among the most iconic works of Akan art. According to legend, a woman named Akua, unable to conceive, was advised by a priest to commission a small wooden figure to care for as her child. After following this ritual, she gave birth, and her figure became known as Akua’ba – Akua’s child. Since then, women have carried and cared for such dolls to encourage conception, healthy pregnancy, and beautiful children.

This piece shows great refinement and is closely related to an example in the Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren (inv. EO.1979.1.88, acquired 1979), attributed to the same hand. Its smooth patina and harmonious proportions suggest careful ritual handling.

Below the Akuaba in the Africa Museum in Tervueren from the same carver.

While many Akuaba are today produced for the tourist market, this doll is a traditional, authentic work of art from a respected European collection (Nadya Levi). It represents not only an object of beauty but also a vessel of cultural meaning, embodying centuries of Akan belief and practice.

A fine addition to any serious collection of African art.

Akuaba Fertility Doll – Asante, Ghana
Height: 30 cm
Provenance: Collection Nadya Levi