Baule male figure Ivory Coast Wood with patina... Lot 3

Baule male figure Ivory Coast Wood with patina of use H. 50 cm Baule male figure, Ivory Coast H. 19 3/4 in Beautiful Baule male statuette representing a Blolo bian, or otherworldly spouse, from whom emanates great interiority. Carved from hardwood with a superb shiny patina, the figure stands upright. Standing on bent legs, with powerful, shapely muscles and a protruding buttock, in keeping with Baule aesthetic canons, this statue adopts a dynamic stance. Square shoulders overhang a slender chest. Arms are held at the sides of the torso, hands resting flat on either side of the umbilicus, kôtua. The back features a delicately sculpted spine line, in line with the shapely buttocks. The long, cylindrical neck enhances the delicately shaped face. The hairstyle is finely crafted. It features a two-part top bun. The sensory elements are set in a heart shape defined by the eyebrow line. The superciliary arches form a double arc, the line of which continues to form a straight nose with slightly flared nostrils. The coffee-bean eyes are closed. The artist's great mastery, contrasting the strength and dynamism of the whole with the delicacy and finesse of the detail, is a precious testimony to the genius of Baule art.