Baule Blolo or Spirit Spouse Figure

Wide eyes in white and black. She is not looking at you. She is looking at what you are about to say.

This red-painted Baule spirit spouse comes from Ivory Coast, 20th century, thirteen inches tall. Such a carving was often commissioned on a diviner’s advice and kept in the bedroom, where its owner could give it attention and small gifts. The coiffure is crested, the mouth yellow, the navel raised in scarification, the fingers white-tipped. A black belt holds a metallic gold loincloth at the hips. She stands without a base, balanced on long legs and broad feet, the red paint worn in places to bare wood.

Yellow lips, gold cloth. She dresses for the occasion.