A Baule statue of wisdom, Beomi region, Ivory Coast. This anthropomorphic male statue carved from wood (known as Waka Sran) exemplifies the classical characteristics of Baoulé art; the head features delicate, symmetrical features. The forehead is high and adorned with vertical and horizontal ritual scarifications extending to the temples and the bridge of the nose. The eyes are almond-shaped and half-closed, giving the figure a serene and introspective air. Cracks are visible on the face and certain parts of the body. The eyebrows form two perfect arches that meet at a slender, straight nose. The hairstyle is intricately crafted, with the head topped by a highly detailed traditional headdress, finely carved with tight vertical grooves simulating braids, and crowned by a small bun or a central crest at the top. The chin is adorned with a short, braided or beaded beard carved in relief beneath the lower lip. The ringed, cylindrical neck is marked by multiple horizontal lines in relief (beauty lines or necklaces). The figure stands upright with a straight torso; its slender arms are folded forward to clasp its hands just above the navel—a gesture of peace and restraint typical of Baoulé statuary. The body scarifications on the chest, lower abdomen, and thighs consist of geometric keloid patterns in relief, symbolizing beauty and social status. The legs are robustly sculpted, with shapely calves. The feet rest firmly on a low, original circular base, carved directly from the same block of wood. The entire sculpture has a dark brown, almost black patina, whose matte finish reveals its age and the successive applications of ritual oils and protective waxes. "To the Western eye, an essence of Baule style is a balanced asymmetry that enlivens while suggesting stability and calm. [...] To an art historian, the most consistent feature of Baule art, and one expressed across the wide variety of Baule object types, is a kind of peaceful containment. Faces tend to have downcast eyes and figures often hold their arms against the body, so that Westerners might feel that the mood of much classical Baule art is introspective." Susan Vogel. In comparison from the same workshop the most famous Asie Usu figure, which, in contrast to the Blolo figures, often shows an intensive sacrifice and is much rarer, although stylistically indistinguishable. (Robert Rubin Collection of African Art). Lit.: Baule. African Art, Western Eyes, Susan Vogel (1997: 26 and 28); Pierre Meauzé, L'art nègre: sculpture, Paris 1967, p. 64, no. 1; Margaret Trowell and Hans Nevermann, African and Oceanic Art, New York, 1968, p. 105 John McKesson, "La Collection de Robert Rubin", Arts d'Afrique Noire, no. 71, Autumn 1989, p. 14. References: Vogel, Susan M. Baule: African Art, Western Eyes. Yale University Press, 1997. Kerchache, Jacques, Jean-Louis Paudrat, and Lucien Stephan. Art of Africa: The Three Thousand-Year History. Harry N. Abrams, 1995. Robbins, Warren M., and Nancy Ingram Nooter. African Art in American Collections. Smithsonian Institution Press, 1989. Gottlieb, Alma, and Philip Graham. Parallel Worlds: An Anthropologist and a Writer Encounter Africa. University of Chicago Press, 1993. Zahan, Dominique. The Religion, Spirituality, and Thought of Traditional Africa. University of Chicago Press, 1979. Fagg, William. African Sculpture. Collins, 1965. 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*9*4*4* 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.