A male Baule figure, Ivory Coast, placed on a square base, knees slightly bent, both hands touching the stomach, the torso is mounted by a thick cylindric neck who carries a large oval head, genitals hanging between the legs. The features are calm, relaxed, emphasized by the half closed eyes staring downwards, a three part goatee is hanging down, the hair is pulled back forming an intricate hairdo. The figure is covered with scarifications on his body, face, neck stomach and back - sign of beauty and status in Baule culture; some wear throughout the sculpture, sign of use. 

“To articulate historians, the most consistent features of Baule art is a kind of peaceful containment. Faces tend to have downcast eyes and figures most often hold their ams against the body. […] Among their abundant art forms, the Baule people continue to place the greatest value on masks and figure sculptures, which remain the only sculptural art still widely used in Baule villages. While there is a difference between the Baule view of their objects and that of Western connoisseurs, there are points of agreement. Aesthetic appreciation is one: Baule artist, and individual owners of objects, certainly sometimes enjoy the beauty of these objects and the skill it took coproduce them. […] Ornaments above the face are chosen for their beauty and have no iconographic significance” p.141.

Lit: Baule: African Art, Western Eyes. Susan M.Vogel 199.

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Height: 41 cm
Weight: 600 g