Statue male Baule

Statue, Baule
Mbahiakro Region, Côte d'Ivoire

This standing male figure is distinguished by its slender, elongated proportions and its calm, dignified posture. The slightly bent arms rest close to the body, while the hands are brought together in front of the lower abdomen. A long, elegant neck supports a disproportionately large head, whose finely carved face is characterised by half-closed almond-shaped eyes, a straight nose, a delicately modelled mouth, and a carefully rendered pointed beard, all conveying serenity and inner balance.

Particularly remarkable is the elaborate coiffure with its finely ribbed surface and sweeping lateral sections culminating in a small crest-like topknot. Raised scarification marks on the face, chest, and abdomen reflect traditional Baule ideals of beauty and social identity. The powerful modelling of the calves and the oversized feet provides a striking visual counterbalance to the otherwise slender body, lending the sculpture both stability and monumentality. The deep brown, lustrous patina, worn smooth through handling and ritual care, attests to prolonged use and age.

The Mbahiakro region, situated in the eastern part of the Baule cultural area, is recognised as one of the principal centres of Baule sculpture. Carvings from this region are distinguished by exceptionally refined proportions, elongated necks, delicately modelled facial features with a composed expression, and highly sophisticated hairstyles. In contrast to the more compact figures produced in other Baule workshops, Mbahiakro sculptures possess an elegant verticality and an almost aristocratic grace. Their powerful, rounded calves and carefully balanced volumes nevertheless preserve a sense of sculptural strength and monumentality.

This combination of formal elegance, idealised beauty and harmonious plastic modelling is among the defining characteristics of the Mbahiakro style and has made the region's sculptures particularly admired by collectors and scholars alike. Rather than portraying specific individuals, these figures embody the Baule ideal of physical perfection, dignity and spiritual harmony, qualities believed to enhance the efficacy and presence of the sculpture.

Selected Literature

Boyer, Alain-Michel. Baule: African Art, Western Eyes. Zurich: Galerie Amrad African Arts, 1992.

Fischer, Eberhard, and Hans Himmelheber. The Art of the Baule. Zurich: Museum Rietberg, 1986.

Himmelheber, Hans. Negerkunst und Negerkünstler. Braunschweig: George Westermann Verlag, 1960.

Kerchache, Jacques, Jean-Louis Paudrat, and Lucien Stephan. L'Art africain. Paris: Citadelles & Mazenod, 1988.

Robbins, Warren M., and Nancy Ingram Nooter. African Art in American Collections. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1989.

Vogel, Susan Mullin (ed.). Baule: African Art – Western Eyes. New York: The Center for African Art, 1997.

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 Bouaflé

Invt. No. MAZ19219

Height: 58 cm
Weight: 1,5 kg