STATUE COLON-BAOULE - Côte d'Ivoire
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Selected by Julien Gauthier
A decade of experience in historical arms, armour, and African art.
Estimate € 220 - € 250
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Description from the seller
Origin: Ivory Coast
Tribe name: Baoulé
Material: Wood
Dimension: 42 cm
Shipping method: Colissimo within 24-48h, open
This decorative statuette is a work of the Baoulé people (Ivory Coast), belonging to the so-called 'Colon' style. This artistic current, which appeared at the beginning of the 20th century, illustrates the encounter between African traditions and Western influence.
Here is a detailed description of this object:
1. Visual Analysis and Style
Posture and Proportion: The figure respects the traditional Baoulé aesthetic canon with a large head (seat of intelligence and spirituality) and a rigid, frontal posture.
Colonial Attributes: The figure wears elements of European clothing, characteristic of the colon style:
A headdress of a specific shape (reminiscent of a kepi or official hat).
What appears to be a tunic or bolero with criss-cross bands (bandolier or military decoration).
A skirt or short shorts and sandals or boots sculpted at the base.
Pigmentation: We observe the use of polychromy (reds, ochres and blacks). The contrast between dark skin and the colored details of the clothing is typical of Baoulé colonists.
2. Cultural Significance
Contrary to a common misconception, these statues are not solely caricatures of the white man. They can have several functions:
The Spouse in the Afterlife (Blolo Bian): In Baoulé cosmogony, each individual has a spiritual spouse in the other world. To honor them, a statue was carved to be as beautiful and as 'modern' as possible. In colonial times, prestige was associated with Western clothing and objects; thus one represented one's spiritual spouse as a 'colon' to give them a high social status.
Humor and satire: they were sometimes used to mock the rigid attitude of colonial administrators (hands in pockets, stern posture).
Historical testimony: They fix in wood the evolution of Ivorian society and the appropriation of codes of authority.
Origin: Ivory Coast
Tribe name: Baoulé
Material: Wood
Dimension: 42 cm
Shipping method: Colissimo within 24-48h, open
This decorative statuette is a work of the Baoulé people (Ivory Coast), belonging to the so-called 'Colon' style. This artistic current, which appeared at the beginning of the 20th century, illustrates the encounter between African traditions and Western influence.
Here is a detailed description of this object:
1. Visual Analysis and Style
Posture and Proportion: The figure respects the traditional Baoulé aesthetic canon with a large head (seat of intelligence and spirituality) and a rigid, frontal posture.
Colonial Attributes: The figure wears elements of European clothing, characteristic of the colon style:
A headdress of a specific shape (reminiscent of a kepi or official hat).
What appears to be a tunic or bolero with criss-cross bands (bandolier or military decoration).
A skirt or short shorts and sandals or boots sculpted at the base.
Pigmentation: We observe the use of polychromy (reds, ochres and blacks). The contrast between dark skin and the colored details of the clothing is typical of Baoulé colonists.
2. Cultural Significance
Contrary to a common misconception, these statues are not solely caricatures of the white man. They can have several functions:
The Spouse in the Afterlife (Blolo Bian): In Baoulé cosmogony, each individual has a spiritual spouse in the other world. To honor them, a statue was carved to be as beautiful and as 'modern' as possible. In colonial times, prestige was associated with Western clothing and objects; thus one represented one's spiritual spouse as a 'colon' to give them a high social status.
Humor and satire: they were sometimes used to mock the rigid attitude of colonial administrators (hands in pockets, stern posture).
Historical testimony: They fix in wood the evolution of Ivorian society and the appropriation of codes of authority.
Details
Number of objects
1
Country of Origin
Côte d'Ivoire
Period
Late 20th century
Material
Wood
Sold with stand
Yes
Condition
Good condition
Title of artwork
STATUE COLON-BAOULE
Height
42 cm
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