Ivory Coast Fetish - Baoulé statue, second half of the 20th century

Ivory Coast
baoulé statue
Second half of the 20th century

The Blobo Bian fetishes, man from beyond. These fetishes are representations of an ancestor or a spouse from the beyond, materialized by a figurine corresponding to the fantasy or dream of the earthly husband or wife.

Statuary is a form of worship of ancestors, or incarnations of the beyond, through a mythical spouse whom one cares for, nourishes, respects. The Blolo being everything that is on the other side of life, the Baoulé man and woman, during the countless occasions of clashes in a household, blamed a mythical husband or wife of the other. beyond, which would disturb the household, very probably a soul in search of its memories or its desires, and the couples found there the parade and the peace of the household, by devoting one day a week to this spirit of the beyond , in order to calm and honor him, so as to improve household relations. For this, the man slept alone with the statuette to which he brought food and present, or spoke to them aloud, real psychoanalysis, because if one expresses one's own problems aloud, they resolve themselves.

The Baoulé are one of the largest ethnic groups in Côte d'Ivoire. Their name reflects their origin: according to a legend, Queen Aba Pokou guided her people in exodus to the gold mining regions during the 18th century; she had to sacrifice her son to the god of a river in order to be able to cross it. The people were then called "Bauli", which means: "the son is dead".

Baoulé artists have produced many works of art and are still very active today. Thanks to their sense of stylization and their attention to detail, they have executed creations that are among the most elegant African objects. The baoulé created masks, statues, statuettes, fetishes, combs, chairs, loom pulleys, canes, slingshots, slings, ointment boxes, oracle boxes, divination boxes, carved doors, beaded necklaces, as well as gold and bronze jewelry worn during major ceremonies.

Material: wood

Dimensions: 45.5cm x 8cm x 9cm

Collected in the region of Bouaké in Ivory Coast


Dimensions :
- Height : 45,5 cm
- Width : 8 cm
- Depth : 9 cm