Sculpture - Wood - Baule - Ivory Coast

A male Baule Blolo Bian sculpture of the Sakassou region, border-destrict Ivory Coast/ Liberia, standing on a circular base, sightly bent legs, the arms carved close to the body, the hands touching the abdomen, small breasts on a columnar, elongated torso, the oval head with unproportional big eyes, heavy lidded in the manner of the Sakassou carver, the most welknown and prominent sculptors of the Ivory Coast. The domed, single crested with a pigtail at the back. This male figure most likely represents a sculpture made for a spirit woman, Blolo bian. According to Vogel, 'these figures represent an ideal of man or womanhood, embodying not only physical perfection, but social, moral and intellectual achievement. Spirit spouse sculptures can be seen as a kind of opposite sex alter ego and are a fascinating case of the use of art in Africa for individual psychological relief. The Baule are one of a number of African groups who believe that before birth, human beings all had Blolo bla (spirit wife) and Blolo bian (spirit husband) spouses in the other world who can influence their lives. '