DepartmentLatin America

Marasa altar bottle

NameRitual bottle

Maker Pierrot Barra (Haitian, 1942 - 1999)

Date1990s

Place collectedPort-au-Prince, Haiti, Caribbean

Place madeHaiti, Caribbean

MediumGlass, rubber, metal, cloth, sequins

Dimensions12 5/16 × 3 1/16 × 3 1/16 in. (31.3 × 7.8 × 7.8 cm)

Credit LineMuseum of International Folk Art, gift of Dr. William T. Waters, A.2018.37.1

Terms

value (economic concept)

Object numberA.2018.37.1

ProvenanceWilliam Waters trained as an anthropologist and worked in Haiti for over 30 years in the Pasbwadom area on the southern coast of Haiti between Côtes-de-Fer and Aquin. His work involved traditional agricultural practices and he worked with the organization Water For Life. His decades-long friendships with Vodou practitioners shaped his collection with good provenance information for many of the items.

DescriptionLidded glass bottle containing the head and hands of a rubber baby doll, dressed in red with a red head covering. The front of the doll is covered with a piece of multi colored cloth in yellow, blue, yellow, and black with a small mirror and silver sequins.