Baule Blolo or Spirit Spouse Figure

Black shirt, ochre front, black trousers, white shoes. A well-turned-out spouse, for any world.

Baule carvers of Ivory Coast often clothed their spirit spouses in the fashions of their own day, so the partner from the other world appears as an attractive person of the time. This eight-inch figure, made in the 20th century, has a red face and forearms, close-cropped dark hair and small white eyes. He stands on a green octagonal base. Chips and rubbing to the paint at the shoulders, hands and feet show his age.

The shoes are the detail to watch.