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This elegant and well-patinated figure
was made
by the Baule, a subsection of the Ivory
Coast
Akan polity. It depicts a tall, slim
female with a
slightly oversized head, elongated arms
and
shortened legs. The surface is encrusted
with
handling gloss on the more elevated
portions.
The physique is highly feminised, with
protuberant breasts and a fecund
profile. The
knees are slightly flexed. The right
hand rests on
the upper thigh while the left holds an
unidentified object (possibly an egg, a
token of
good luck in Baule culture). She bears
bars of
keloid scarificatins on her back, a
characteristic
that is beautiful in the eys of the
Baule, and
which would also identify her origin to
any
onlooker. The detailing below the neck
is largely
schematic, with most attention being
paid to the
head. The features are classically
Baule, with a
high, domed forehead, a heart-shaped
face, an
elongated inverted T-bar nose, half-
closed eyes
and rounded cheeks that run into the
small,
protuberant mouth. The hair is
exquisite,
comprising a triple set of rounded
eminences
decorated with incised lines running
dorsally (the
central section) and inferiorly (the
lateral
sections). The figure is adorned with
bands of
white glass trade beads around the neck
and
each ankle. While the identity of this
piece is
uncertain, it is probably a Blolo Bla
sculpture – a
spirit spouse to whom a man was
“married”, and
through whom he would receive spiritual
guidance. These figures are
traditionally made to
represent the ideal spouse – beautiful,
serene
women and, usually, somewhat older,
wealthy
men, each expressing the marital
intentions of
the person for whom the piece was made.
The Baule live across the Ivory Coast
area, and
have an economy based primarily on
sedentary
agriculturism. They have thus been able
to build
up a considerable political and economic
stronghold, which has in turn given rise
to a
strong ritual and artistic heritage.
Their own
creation story relates to an ancient
migration, in
which the queen was forced to sacrifice
her son
in order to ford a mighty river. So
upset was she
that all she could say was “baouli”
(“the child is
dead”), thus giving rise to the tribe’s
name.
Blolo bian (male) and Blolo bla (female)
spirit
spouses are perhaps the Baule’s greatest
artistic
and psycho-social achievement. They are
also
known for sculptures representing bush
spirits
(Asie usu) – mischievous and potentially
malevolent inhabitants of the “bush”, or
dark
country beyond the boundary of the
village –
monkeys, and three types of masks that
are used
in the celebration of good harvests,
mourning,
and the visits of important dignitaries.
Secular
items are also known, including heddle
pulleys,
doors, catapults and other utilitarian
objects that
are often decorated to a very high
standard by
Baule artists and craftsmen. Their
metalworking –
especially in gold – is also renowned
for its
quality. Their arts are most often
confused with
their neighbours, the Yaure and the
Guro.
Like most other human societies, the
Baule are
prey to conspicuous consumption, which
is a
central key to asserting one’s status in
the
village, and thus one’s power and
influence.
While their carving is among the most
refined
and restrained in Africa, therefore,
artists vie to
produce more impressive and beautiful
carvings
which are often decorated or adorned by
their
proud owners. The current piece is an
excellent
example of this, being not only
beautifully
rendered and comparatively dynamic, but
also
adorned with trade beads which were
literally
worth their weight in gold (they were
traditionally
used as money in various African
societies). This
is an exceptional example of the genre.
- (PF.8067 (LSO))
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