Baule Blolo or Spirit Spouse Figure

The other-world spouse, the Baule say, can meddle in marriages and fortunes. Hence the offerings.

This spirit husband, or blolo bian, was carved in Ivory Coast in the 20th century to receive attention in return. Eleven inches tall, he is painted red from head to ankle, with black shorts and a black cap of hair. Large white-lidded eyes, a small mouth and a long neck give him a calm, alert expression, and his arms fall free of the body to the hips. Paint has worn away in places, most noticeably around the dark base, where bare wood shows through.

He has been attended to, and it shows.