A Baule ointment box, Sakassou region, Ivory Coast. This ointment box (or medicine box) combines utilitarian elements with the classical aesthetic principles of Baoulé statuary. The braided hairstyle at the top of the lid takes the form of a stylized bust reduced to a head. It features a complex traditional headdress, finely engraved with tight parallel lines simulating braids, gathered into an asymmetrical, lobed topknot. The serene face reflects the Baoulé aesthetic ideal. The forehead is high and domed; the eyebrows are arched and meet at a slender bridge of the nose, while the almond-shaped eyes are half-closed, giving the figure an expression of contemplation and introspection. The elongated neck connects to the circular base of the lid, which fits tightly over the box’s opening. The central part of the jar has a domed silhouette with sharp, angular contours. The motifs carved into the dark, polished wooden surface are adorned on the upper portion with a continuous frieze of interlocking chevrons and triangles, accentuated by horizontal linear incisions. The base of the box rests on an architecturally designed structure. It incorporates a crenellated section composed of small rectangular blocks carved in relief (evoking herringbone or tooth-like patterns), surmounting a wide, flared circular plinth that ensures the object’s stability. Literature (selection) Vogel, Susan Mullin: Baule: African Art, Western Eyes. New Haven 1997. Himmelheber, Hans: The Art of the Baule. Munich 1960. Delafosse, Maurice: The Baoulé and the Agni of Côte d’Ivoire. Paris 1901. Cole, Herbert M.: Icons: Ideals and Power in the Art of Africa. Washington D.C. 1989. Fischer, Eberhard / Homberger, Lorenz: The Art of the Ivory Coast. Zurich 1979. Zahan, Dominique. The Religion, Spirituality, and Thought of Traditional Africa. University of Chicago Press, 1979. Colleyn, Jean-Paul. Bamana: The Art of Existence in Mali. Museum for African Art, 2001. Gottlieb, Alma. Under the Kapok Tree: Identity and Difference in Beng Thought. Indiana University Press, 1992. Robbins, Warren M., and Nancy Ingram Nooter. African Art in American Collections. Smithsonian Institution Press, 1989. Some of the information is generated by artificial intelligence and is based on published sources from the fields of ethnography, archaeology, and art history. Informant Bakari M*A*Z*1*5*5*8*3* The seller guarantees and can prove that the object was obtained legally. The seller was informed by Catawiki that they had to provide the documentation required by the laws and regulations in their country of residence. The seller guarantees and is entitled to sell/export this object. The seller will provide all provenance information known about the object to the buyer. The seller ensures that any necessary permits are/will be arranged. The seller will inform the buyer immediately about any delays in obtaining such permits.