A male Baule sculpture, Ivory Coast, standing on a circular base, flattened feet, slightly bent legs, the arms carved close to the body with large hands resting on long beard, the head with fine facial features, almond shaped eyes, small nose, and narrowed mouth. The forehead with rows of scarifications, and more scarifications on either side of the temples, mouth, neck and back; carved armlet on both arms; a domed, fine striated coiffure, blackened patina; a few small cracks and signs of use. Certificate of origin and provenance.

"For the Baule people of southern Ivory Coast, and their northern Senufo neighbours, scarification is a "mark of civilization" that differentiates the cultured, socialized and beautified human body from the natural, naked and ugly bodies of animals. It imposes order on the chaos of nature and acts as a measure of the wearer's social worth and self-esteem." Source: Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford.

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Height: 53 cm
Weight: 1260 g