A Baule couple, Ivory Coast, bouaké region, collected in the village N´gatakro, standing on an oval base, knees slightly bent, their two hands are touching the stomach and navel area, their strong, slender torso is mounted by a thick cylindric neck who carries a large oval shaped head, the features of the face are calm, relaxed, a small mouth at the end of a large jaw, both have a goatee, half closed eyes looking downwards, the hairdo is pulled back in a conical shape. The face, abdomen, neck and back are covered with scarifications, sign of beauty and status in Baule culture, they are also wearing a yellow cloth around their waist covering their genitals; some wear throughout the sculpture sign of use, cracks in the hairdo, middle of the bust can be noticed. "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. […] Ornaments above the face are chosen for their beauty and have no iconographic significance” p.141. Lit: Baule: African Art, Western Eyes. Susan M.Vogel 1997. Height: 35 cm / 37,5 cm Weight: 650 g / 620 g