A weathered Old Baule Male Spirit Husband sculpture, African Art

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Seller: tribal_gatherings ✉️ (3,761) 100%, Location: Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, US, Ships to: WORLDWIDE, Item: 352231003328 A weathered Old Baule Male Spirit Husband sculpture, African Art. A handsome old wooden sculpture from the Baule peoples of West Africa.  Measures 13.5 inches tall on simple wooden base.  The sculpture has good age and some decay, notably to the base.  Overall a good old example.   Among the Baule peoples of Côte d'Ivoire, human experience evolves out of and remains inextricably linked to the ancestral spirit world, or Blolo (roughly, "the village of truth"), which controls and determines the fate of the living. Divination figures such as this handsome male are known as "Blolo Blian" or Spirit husband. Such idols serve as links to the spirit world and are a critical element in a Baule diviner's professional practice. Baule diviners are individuals who have been selected by spirits, or asye usu, as mediums through which to communicate important insights into the human condition. The sculptures are often described as the asye usu's "stool," a figurative resting point for the spirits. Divination figures represent idealized male or female figures in their prime, which are considered by the asye usu as desirable forms to inhabit, and so are used to draw the unruly spirits out of their home in the bush and into the village. The more elaborate the ornamental and decorative features of an individual work, the more time has been invested in its execution by the sculptor, and the greater the expense to its owner. The culmination of such efforts hopefully results in the creation of a sculpture that is most attractive to the asye usu. When used by Baule diviners, such works not only flatter the asye usu but also add to the theatrical spectacle of a public pronouncement of a divinatory revelation. Their aesthetic quality dazzles potential clients with the caliber and sophistication of the instruments associated with a diviner. The beauty of a figure advertises its owner's success as an intermediary with the spirit world. Consequently, diviners prosper by commissioning superlative figures as divinatory instruments.   My name is Todd Zieseniss and I have been selling African, Asian and Pre-columbian Tribal Arts for nearly 25 years.  I opened my first gallery "Tribal Gatherings" in 1994 and I have sold well over 20,000 works of Ethnographic arts in this time.  I was one of the original sellers of Tribal Art on Ebay when it first started under the Ebay name "brightpath" and then I opened a second selling sight "Tribal gatherings" a few years later, which I still maintain.     I have worked in authentication and appraisals for Rago auctions and other major auction houses in the Philadelphia region.  I have contacts worldwide for Ethnographic arts and I am happy to help you build your collection.     I have a large inventory of Art objects, you will only ever see a small portion on ebay.  I sell decorative objects to Museum grade treasures and all at affordable prices.   I would like to offer my expertise, and a selection of good objects picked with a trained eye.  Please bookmark my ebay auctions page, I promise to keep it interesting. 
  • Condition: Well weathered and well handled patina, obvious handling and minor wear and some decay and loss, overall In fair condition.
  • Tribe: Baule
  • Color: black
  • Maker: Baule artisan
  • Material: wood
  • Original/Reproduction: Original

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