Figure Baule

This unique piece of Baoulé art, measuring 26x21x41.5 cm, is carved from natural wood and represents a Blolo bian, a spiritual husband. It is essential for the Baoulé soothsayers, serving as a bridge between the physical world and the blolo, the ancestral spiritual domain. This male figure is probably intended for divination rituals, embodying the belief that the blolo influences the destiny of the living. Its presence in divinatory practices underlines the intertwining of the human experience with the spiritual within the Baoulé culture. It originated in Côte d'Ivoire and dates from the middle of the 20th century.