A female Baule - Asie Usu - sculpture of the Sakassou region; heavy encrusted patina of many different layers.

This sculpture was owned by a fortune teller. It belonged to a bush spirit that corresponded to spirits of geomancy and the forest. Asie usu took possession of one person and subsequently made him a fortune teller. This relationship between spirit and possessed was mutual: sacrifices were made to the spirit, in return it brought success to its owner. Aspiring fortune tellers had a sculpture made after a while, which served as the seat of the spirit. The sculpture idealized the spirit, the appearance of which was described negatively. The beauty of the figure was considered necessary for the spirit to accept it as his seat.

Both types - the blolo and the asie usu - of figures are formally similar, which is why they often could not be distinguished due to the lack of knowledge about the use of a specific figure. For older sculptures in particular, a distinction can be made on the basis of sacrificial residues: while the owners applied blood to parts of the asie usu figures, especially on the foot or over the whole asie uusu figures. Old asie usu sculptures are much rarer than the blolo bian or blolo ban sculptures. As a rule, a thick sacrification patina is a sign of old age.

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Height: 34,5 cm
Weight: 350 g