Seated female figure ·  Côte d'Ivoire, Baule · ID: 3040255

Description

wood, blackened, red paint from underneath partially visible, white pigment, six strings with small discs around the waist, narrow shoulders and broad hips, skin scarifications at the neck, block-like stool fixed on wooden board, slightly dam., abrasion of paint, cracks;
most Baule statuettes of seated male or female figures are connected with the “asie usu”, the spirits of the bush, which are secondary divinities whose favour is gained through statuettes. They belong to the property of a fortune teller who has to handle them with care in order to get their support. They are displayed between the fortune teller and the client during a public performance. They act as intermediaries between man and bush spirits. They may intervene in a person’s life to cause madness or to confer clairvoyance.