Baule Blolo or Spirit Spouse Figure

A warm red torso, a skirt of blue-black, and the face of someone who has heard everything and forgiven it.

This thirteen-inch female figure is a Baule spirit spouse from Ivory Coast, 20th century. A person’s partner in the spirit world was believed to take an interest in their earthly life, and a carved figure was a way of honoring that bond. She has a crested coiffure and incised scarification at the temples and cheeks. Her hands are clasped over the belly, and a dark band circles the waist. The surface shows rubbing and wear throughout, and she stands on a rectangular base.

Rubbed, worn, and none the worse for it.