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Image Not Available for Female figure
Female figure
Image Not Available for Female figure

Female figure

Date20th century
Label TextClothes now cover modern Baule carvings of men and women. She wears high-heeled shoes and a watch, he wears a uniform and has a fashionable hairstyle. Following past preferences, their clothes closely fit bodies of erect being and bulging muscles. They are definitely not a couple, but stand for the evolving individuality engendered by city life. Their real life counterparts can be seen on the streets of a city like Abidjan, a city of two million people with a high standard for fashion. Such carvings represent men and women inhabiting another world parallel to this one, where one may have a spirit wife or husband. These spirit spouses can cause misfortune, especially in the domains of marriage and sexual matters. Diviners assist clients with such troubles and recommend that a carving be offered for the spirit spouse to visit. Maintaining good relations with a spirit spouse may require nights alone and offerings of food, perfume, jewelry, and coins.
Object number81.17.237
Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Documents International: Reflections in the Mirror: A World of Identity, April 23, 1998 - June 20, 1999Published ReferencesMcClusky, Pamela. African Art: From Crocodiles to Convertibles in the Collection of the Seattle Art Museum, Seattle: Seattle Art Museum, 1987; cat. no. 8, pp. 16-17, reproduced.
Credit LineGift of Katherine White and the Boeing Company
Dimensions14 1/2 x 4 11/16 x 3 3/4 in. (36.8 x 11.9 x 9.5 cm)
MediumWood, paint