Magnifique statuette "blolo bla" · Côte d'Ivoire, Baoulé · ID: 3042676
Michel Gosse, Caen/Paris, France
Helmut Zake, Heidelberg, Germany
Manfred Magin, Weinheim, Germany (1972)
Ketterer, Munich, 30 April 1988, lot 170
Heinz Kolerski, Fellbach, Germany
Description
wood, matt and shiny greyish brown patina, remains of kaolin, regular facial features with lowered lids, beautiful modelled body, elaborate fine carved coiffure, rich scarification marks, loincloth from fine red fabric (slightly brittle), min. dam., cracks, min. traces of insect caused damage (backside of the base), missing parts (front half of the base/both foot tips), pedestal;
In addition to the realms of the village (culture) and the bush (nature), the Baule also believe in a far-off place that they call “blolo”. It is a place “which exists beyond sensory experience”. The Other World is thought of as an ideal world, a place of exaggerated perfection. The “blolo” is inhabited by human spirits. It is the place from which comes the spirit of a newborn and the place to which a person’s spirit returns to death. It is also a place where each person has a partner of the opposite sex. A woman has an “Other World man” - “blolo bian” - , a man has an “Other World woman” - " blolo bla".