Seated female figure ·  Côte d'Ivoire, Baule · ID: 3037104

Description

wood, slightly shiny blackish brown patina, elongated upper part of the body in upright posture, elaborated coiffure and scarification marks, carved with bracelets and leg rings, slightly dam., minor missing parts (right ear), cracks (left side of the head), wooden base;
most of the seated Baule figures are connected with the “asie usu”, spirits of the bush, which are secondary divinities whose favour is gained through figures. The statuette is not meant to represent the “asie usu”, a deformed and ungainly creature, but rather to pay it homage by means of an effigy which will charm it in all senses of the word, honor it, and coax it into contact with human beings.