Mali - c. 19th C.
Wood and beads, 40 cm

Provenance:

De Young Museum - Fine Arts Museum, San Francisco, U.S. (inv. S 3202)
Private collection, New England, U.S.A.
Christophe Rolley collection, Paris (acquired in 2005)
Olivier Castellano, Paris (2016)
Private collection, Brussels

Exhibited:
s.d. on loan at the Museum M. H. de Young Museum, San Francisco
Parcours des Mondes, Paris, Galerie Olivier Castellano, 6 - 11 September 2016
Winter BRUNEAF, Brussels, Galerie Olivier Castellano, 22 - 26 January 2020

Published:
Galerie Olivier Castellano, Parcours des Mondes, Paris, 2018, pp.38-39 (ill.)

This exceptional Baule figure, with its outspoken round volumes that articulate the figure's anatomy, strikes us most for its superb profile that betrays the hands of an exceptional sculptor. The rather round face in the frontal view offers a surprising contrast with the slender profile in the shape of a slanted waterdrop.In this sculpture, we recognize a number of criteria that represent the Baule vision of a physical and moral ideal: a hieratic pose, refined scarifications, a sophisticated hairdo, strong and round muscles,…
Sculptures like these were often made for trance diviners, and the encrusted patina bears witness to its age and use.