Seated female figure "asie usu" · Côte d'Ivoire, Baule · ID: 3037954
Description
wood, matt shiny black patina, kaolin, impressive figure sitting in a dignified pose, abundantly adorned with ornament and body scarifications, the coiffure elaborately designed, slightly dam., cracks (right side of the body), rep. (breakage at the left thigh);
“asie usu” figures are part of the normal equipment of “komien” (fortune-tellers), and assist them in their communication with helpful spirits. They are often displayed during sessions in which the diviner is possessed by a spirit and goes into trance. The statue must be visually appealing in order to entice a spirit to take up residence in it. Its elaborate coiffure and body scarifications symbolize a person of importance and dignity. The focus of attention is the large, carefully detailed head. The spirit is thus represented as a wise and prosperous counselor.
The object Seated female figure “asie usu” with the object ID 3037954 was last part of the auction 79th Tribal Art Auction at March 21, 2015 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 165 achieved a sales price of EUR 4,000.
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Comparing literature
Fagaly, William, Ancestors of Congo Square, New Orleans 2011, p. 118 ff.