Object Details
- Baule artist
- Label Text
- A Baule person would have recognized this figure as a waka sran, a "person in wood." For the Baule, every successful sculpted figure necessarily conveys a sense of individuality, as in the approbation "o fa sran!"--"it resembles a person!" Whether carved to represent one's otherworld mate--the "otherworld woman" (blolo bla) of a man, or the "otherworld man" (blolo bian) of a woman--or a bush-spirit familiar, the sculpted Baule figure is a stand-in interlocutor for an unseen spirit.
- A Baule woman probably commissioned this male figure as a portrayal of her otherworld mate, following the instructions of a diviner and his revelation that the particular problem the woman faced stemmed from the jealousy of her neglected mate in the otherworld. To picture his identity and also to ultimately please him, the sculptor set out to carve a person as defined by Baule notions of attractiveness--a column like neck, long torso and rounded calves. Yet it is a notion that has literally been given a modern touch with the addition of a pith helmet. Perhaps the ideal man is a successful government clerk.
- Description
- Standing male figure with thick legs wearing a pith helmet and a necklace and waist beads.
- Exhibition History
- The Self and the Other, Fowler Museum of Cultural History, University of California, Los Angeles, October 2, 1994-April 9, 1995
- Dreaming the Other World: Figurative Art of the Baule, Côte d'Ivoire, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., June 9-November 30, 1993
- Published References
- Ravenhill, Philip L. 1993. Dreaming the Other World: Figurative Art of the Baule, Côte d'Ivoire. Washington, D.C.: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, p. 3, no. 2.
- Ravenhill, Philip L. 1996. Dreams and Reverie: Images of Otherworld Mates Among the Baule, West Africa. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, pp. 24-25, no. 8.
- Content Statement
- As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
- Image Requests
- High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
- Credit Line
- Gift of Philip L. Ravenhill and Judith Timyan
- 1930s
- Object number
- 93-1-1
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Type
- Figure
- Medium
- Wood, glass beads, plant fiber
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 33.2 x 7.5 x 9 cm (13 1/16 x 2 15/16 x 3 9/16 in.)
- Geography
- Côte d'Ivoire
- See more items in
- National Museum of African Art Collection
- Object Name
- blolo bian
- National Museum of African Art
- Topic
- Fertility
- Shrine/Altar
- Female use
- pith helmet
- male
- Record ID
- nmafa_93-1-1
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys732f55296-e1f1-4637-8f8d-b9c58def8d99
