Baule Blolo or Spirit Spouse Figure

Another world runs beside this one, the Baule say. In it, everyone has a spouse.

The figure is a blolo, or spirit spouse, carved in the 20th century in the Ivory Coast. A carved figure honored that partner and was kept close. This sixteen-inch woman is painted red overall, with a dark green coiffure gathered into tufts and white eyes rimmed in green. A bright red cloth, edged with a pale band, wraps the hips. Her hands rest on her abdomen, and she stands straight on a round base.

The paint is softly worn in places. Introduce her to the room. She has been waiting.