Standing female figure "blolo bla" · Côte d'Ivoire, Baule · ID: 3052507
Starting price
EUR 5,000
Estimated price
EUR 10,000
Provenance
Charles Wentinck, Saumane, FranceFranz Armin Morat, Freiburg, Germany
Morat-Institut für Kunst-und Kunstwissenschaft, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
Adrian Schlag, Brussels, Belgium
Size
H: 48 cm
H: 18.9 inch
Description
wood, pigments, handwritten collection no. at the bottom “E.S.216”, base
In case of health problems or other issues the diviners are consulted. They are the ones who tell the people that they have to order the carving of a “blolo” figure in order to get their problems solved.
These characters “blolo bla” (female) and “blolo bian” (male) were usually kept on a small altar in the bedroom, and sacrifices such as coins or eggs were offered to them.
In order to gain the help of the “otherworldly partners”, the figures had to be as appealing as possible, designed in accordance with the Baule’s common ideals of beauty and richly decorated with scarification marks.