Baule ritual Fly-Chasing, Bouaké Region, Ivory Coast, incl stand. This image shows a Baoulé ritual flywhisk (used as a symbol of prestige by chiefs or dignitaries in Côte d'Ivoire), combining a carved wooden handle with a tuft of horsehair or fibers. The elongated oval shape of the handle’s top takes the form of a face with delicate and harmonious proportions, reflecting traditional Baoulé aesthetic ideals. The eyebrows form two perfectly arched lines that meet at the base of a long, straight nose. The almond-shaped eyes are depicted half-closed to express serenity and inner calm. The head is crowned by a tall, flattened headdress, carved with fine, closely spaced vertical grooves. The rear edge of this headdress is highlighted by a sawtooth frieze or a zigzag pattern painted white. Small ritual marks in relief (scarifications) are visible on the forehead and at the temples. Just below the face, the wood is carved into a series of horizontal, domed cylindrical sections (shaped like rings or superimposed ridges), evoking the decorative folds of the neck. The lower part of the handle is wrapped and reinforced with a regular coil of thread, improving the grip and the piece’s sturdiness. A dark, fibrous thread discreetly connects the back of the headpiece to the base of the handle to hold the structure together. A long vertical bundle of stiff, brown-beige plant fibers extends from the base of the wooden handle. The filiform structure—these fibers extend straight downward over a great length—creates a strong vertical contrast with the textured density of the carved head. *The aja—these ancestral stools, a set consisting of suitcases, pots, baskets, and imported wooden and metal chests, as well as fly whips, sometimes gilded—symbolizes family unity and identity, while being surrounded by dangers and taboos. “There was never the slightest possibility that a package or suitcase could be opened for examination or photography. ” Susan Vogel, *African Art: Western Eyes*, Yale University Press, 1997: 188 “Bail sticks. Among the Atutu (a Baule tribe that Himmelheber was the first to study in 1933–34), there is a very peculiar custom, likely unknown elsewhere. If a citizen has a dispute with another—for example, because the latter allegedly stole bananas from him—and the trial must be postponed, say because the main witness is traveling, the defendant then gives the plaintiff a pledge that the latter may keep until the trial takes place; if the trial does not occur, the pledge then becomes the plaintiff’s property. In this way, the defendant now has every interest in seeing the trial through to a conclusion. In the past, fly swatters with a long handle made of buffalo hair and a beautifully carved handle were used as pledges. Today, these fly swatters have completely lost their original meaning and serve only as pledges, while another type of fly swatter has come into use. But since, for the pledge, only the valuable handle matters, the tail has long since been removed, and only the rough extension of the handle—which used to disappear into the tail—still bears witness to its origin. Although these sticks are fairly common, I have found very few that still bear the tail (in M. Clozel’s *Coutumes Agni* [1904], no specific object is mentioned under the heading “pledge,” and thus neither are the pledge sticks). According to Labouret’s report published in the *Revue d’ethnographie et de sociologie* (1914), it appears that these old “Wedel” were still in use twenty years ago.)” Hans Himmelheber, *Negerkünstler*, Strecker and Schröder Publishers, 1935: 47 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*6*4*1*2* 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.