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.
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