A Carved wooden money sculpture known as "Gbekre" which was part of the Mbra cult, Baule peoples, Ivory Coast, Africa. The simian iconography placed this statue in the realm of the bush (blo), which the Baule associated with chaos, danger and the supernatural. A bowl-bearing figure like this would have led a hidden life within Baule society; few people were allowed in their sacred grove in the bush, and women and children were forbidden to see them.The raised forearms, and the hands clasping a bowl reference to the frequent sacrifices needed to maintain the spirit’s benevolence and cooperation. Important also was the vivid zoomorphism of the figure’s head ,a baboon, a befitting association in the Baule mind as the animal was widely feared.The Monkey holds its container for offerings to protect its devotees from harm ,failed harvests, fires, floods and epidemics, and grant their petitions, most frequently for good health and fertility of both soil and women. This Monkey measures 19.5 inches ( 21.5 inches on display stand)

Fair, weathered and worn