A very old wood sculpture from the Baule peoples of West Africa. Measures 19.5 inches tall. Please note the heavily weathered and eroded base as well as the natural wear on the back of sculpture, the wood is almost hollow in parts from erosion, not insects! The wood is absolutely old and worn, as such the statue appears to have great age.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 gorgeous female are known as "Blolo Bla" or Spirit wife. 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.

heavy weathering and wear, overall Good / fair condition