Baule Blolo or Spirit Spouse Figure

Ten and a half inches. Brown wood, a long crack, and a spirit spouse who has outlasted the red.

In Baule belief, an unseen world runs beside the world of the living, and each person may have a partner there whose attention must be acknowledged. A carved figure gave that partner a place here. This blolo figure was made in the Ivory Coast in the 20th century. She has a tall crested coiffure, raised marks at the temples and beside the mouth, and a long ringed neck. Her hands rest on her abdomen.

Traces of red pigment remain on the warm brown wood. A long vertical crack runs through the torso, and the round base is worn. Some marriages are like that. Durable.