OLD BAULE FEMALE SPIRIT SPOUSE EX SOTHEBYS '76

Description

This expertly carved female figure stands on a square base, legs slightly flexed, arms close to the body, hands just below the protruding umbilicus, with a finely detailed coiffure, keloidal (scarification) marks carved on her neck and torso, front and back. Two old, stable age checks;
excellent overall condition.
This Baule female “
blolo bia”
effigy
represents the sculptural portrait of a revered “spirit spouse” and occupies prominent placement in the alter.
The Baule believe that before birth, human beings have had spirit spouses in the other world who influence their present lives.
SUBJECT:
African female
blolo bia
standing figure
E
THNIC GROUP:
Baule, Cote D'Ivoire
AGE:
2nd quarter, 20th century
MATERIALS:
Hardwood, loincloth, white seed bead necklace
PROVENANCE:
Sotheby Parke-Bernet in New York City, PB84 Sale 500, 08/03/1976, lot 140
SIZE:
17.5” (43.1cm) x 2. 5” (6.3cm)
Serious collectors; do not let this authentic old African figure get away!
Successful bidder pays .75 handling, shipping, and insurance costs (within continental U.S.)
Overseas buyer will add 0 shipping cost.
Customs fees are the sole responsibility of the buyer.
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Bidders with 10 or fewer "feedback" or private comments are welcome to bid, but must first contact seller to verify transaction or bid may be cancelled.
In a marketplace teeming with fake and poorly carved “African Art” imported from as far away as China for quick sale to inexperienced buyers or bargain-hunting shoppers at very low cost, it is becoming increasingly difficult to acquire genuine old and ethnographically significant artifacts formerly used by indigenous group members.
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