Baule Wood Slingshot, Ivory Coast, Based

A boy’s tool, a hunter’s tool, and a carver who couldn’t leave it plain.

Baule carvers often decorated everyday implements, and slingshot frames were frequently topped with faces or animals. This one, from the Ivory Coast in the 20th century, stands nine inches tall: two straight prongs rise into a cylindrical body, a long neck with a small, finely carved human face, and a horizontal animal head on top.

The wood has a deep, dark, glossy patina from handling, with fine age cracks along the body. A slim black base holds it upright.

Beauty was never extra. It was standard.