Baule style statue - Lot 331

Baule style statue Ivory Coast Wood, metal clasps Height : 45 cm Male statue sitting on a stool in a hieratic pose. The hands rest on the stomach. The face is composed of a large nose, bulging eyes and a closed mouth underlined by a transverse beard. transverse beard. The temples, the neck and the back are decorated with keloids. The headdress consists of a striated shell. Less frequent than the standing statuettes, those representing a seated man always concern the asiè usu. These are hideous geniuses who become merciful if they are honored, while remaining unpredictable. To absorb their power, they are made to reside temporarily in a work of art. The effigy is imposed as a sublimation of the wild forces of nature. The position of the effigy on a seat confers on this fickle spirit in the bush, the evidence of stability. BAULE STYLE - STATUE 45 CM