ARTIST: Baule (Ivory Coast)

TITLE: Baule Blolo Bian Figure

MEDIUM: Wood, Trade Paints, Beads

DATE: c. 1940 

SIZE: H 13.75 x W 2.75 x D 3.25 in

PRICE: Please Inquire

Hand-carved Blolo Bian (spirit figure) sculpture from the Baule people of the Ivory Coast, with colored trade paints and beads. In good condition, with dark patina wear consistent with age and use.

PROVENANCE:

Private Collection, Los Angeles, CA

Herbert Baker Inc., Pacific Palisades, CA

Baule African Art sculpture of a female ancestral figure. Elaborately hand-carved from wood with trade paints and beads around the neck. Intricately carved hair and scar elements are typical aesthetic elements of Baule figures of this period.

The Baule People believe that these sculpted figures serve as the resting places for natural spirits asie usu and blolo bian (spirit spouses). According to Baule tradition, the spouse spirits must be offered figures of great beauty or they will refuse to inhabit the figure. Note the carver’s attention to detail with the intricate braided hair. The Blolo Bian (spousal spirit) would be offered food in a dish, like a human, and be cleaned and fondled with loving attention.

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