African Baule Bolo Bian Carved Wooden Ritual Figure. From the Ivory Coast, it depicts a seated male with elaborate coiffure and scarification marks holding a long, ribbed object to his chin. These figures are crafted to represent a "spiritual significant other" to the head of the household that sits in the home and helps to ward off disruptive spirits. 

Size: 8 x 9 x 41 in. 

The Baule are an Akan people and one of the largest ethnic groups on the Ivory Coast of Africa, traditionally living as farmers in the central region between the Bandama and N’Zi Rivers. The Baule Kingdom was established around 1730 by Queen Abla Pokou following a migration from the Mande Kingdom in Ghana, lasting until the French colonization in 1893. The tribe became dominant in the region during the mid-20th century due to their control of the profitable cocoa, rubber, and coffee industries. The Baule people are widely known for their refined artistic talent, producing diverse sculptures, face masks, human figurines, and works in gold, bronze, and ivory. Their art often intersects with that of the neighboring Yaoure tribe and is imbued with spiritual significance, representing protective or ancestral beings. These sacred works, particularly the ram-headed Bonu Amuen figures, are highly collectible due to traditional restrictions on who can view them.

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