A male Baule sculpture from Ivory coast stands on a circular base, flattened feet, thick calves standing on slightly bent knees, the buttocks are prominent, the hands close to the abdomen that is bloated and has a protruding navel, scarification marks all over the sculpture, a thick, columnar neck is supporting an oval head. The facial plane serene and small with large protruding eyes, a small mouth beneath a slender nose, framed by ears with pronounced tragus. The domed coiffure is intricately carved with two small rows on each side of the head and a lede dome with vertical striations in the centre. The sculpture has small cracks on the hand, shoulder and back; the base is also slightly degraded, dusty, reddish Latherit patina, signs of age and ritual use. Certificate of origin and provenance. “To articulate historians, the most consistent features of Baule art is a kind of peaceful containment. Faces tend to have downcast eyes and figures most often hold their ams against the body. Among their abundant art forms, the Baule people continue to place the greatest value on masks and figure sculptures, which remain the only sculptural art still widely used in Baule villages. While there is a difference between the Baule view of their objects and that of Western connoisseurs, there are points of agreement. Aesthetic appreciation is one: Baule artist, and individual owners of objects, certainly sometimes enjoy the beauty of these objects and the skill it took coproduce them. Lit: Baule: African Art, Western Eyes. Susan M.Vogel 1997.