The Baule people in Ivory Coast imagine that every married adult, whether man or woman, has a ‘spirit spouse’. The man has a ‘spiritual wife’, called ‘blolo bla’, while the woman has a ‘spiritual husband’, called ‘blolo bian’. These invisible spirits live in the afterlife, in the spirit world, or in the ‘bush’. The carvers of the Baule represent them as small sculptures, which the commissioner preserves in their bedrooms. It is possible to communicate with these ‘spirit spouses’ (in the shape of such figures), ask them for advice, discuss problems, etc. The present, typical male ‘blolo bian figure’ is carved of hard wood and dyed black. It displays all the typical features of the Baule style: the finely lined hairstyle with three hair combs on each side, large eyes with highly curved eyebrows, small, round ears, a flat, long nose and a small mouth, as well as the scarification marks typical of the tribe between the eyes, on both temples, cheeks and at both corners of the mouth. The figure stands on a rounded base. It is proportionally correctly designed, with a slight turning of the body (rare), and very carefully executed in its details (the finger and toe nails are visible).
A minor crack runs from the left side of the head to the body on the front, another one is on the base at the back. Beyond colour scuffing as a result of age and usage, no further damage. Overall, a perfect ‘blolo bian’ figure of the Baule people, with good, old usage patina.
Height: 41.5 cm.
First half of the 20th century. (ME)

Provenance:
Austrian collection.

Lit.:
‘Baule. African Art - Western Eyes’ by Susan M. Vogel, ill. p. 260, 261, 262, 291; ‘The Tribal Arts of Africa’ by Jean-Baptiste Bacquart, p. 48, ill. 5; ‘Encyclopedia of African Art and Culture’ by K.-F. Schädler, ill. p. 84.