A Baule maternity, Ivory Coast, sitting on a stool placed on a wooden base, the maternity has two infants sitting in front of her on the wooden base, and two sitting on her knees, that are touching her chest, the maternity is sitting straight up, hands placed under the two infants, her long ringed neck is carrying her rounded head, composed of calming features, a small mouth, pointed nose, almond shaped ayes, and coiffed with a beautiful intricate hairdo; some big cracks at the base, signs of use. Certificate of origin and provenance.

“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 1997.

sold

Height: 60 cm
Weight: 4450 g