Detail View: The AMICA Library: Figure of a Spirit Wife
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AMICA ID:
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CMA_.1971.297.2
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AMICA Library Year:
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2003
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Object Type:
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Sculpture
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Creator Nationality:
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West Africa, Ivory Coast, Baule people, 20th century
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Creator Name-CRT:
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West Africa, Ivory Coast, Baule people, 20th century
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Title:
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Figure of a Spirit Wife
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Title Type:
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Primary
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View:
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Detail
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Creation Date:
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early 1900s
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Creation Start Date:
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1900
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Creation End Date:
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1935
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Materials and Techniques:
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wood, beads
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Classification Term:
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Sculpture
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Style or Period:
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West Africa, Ivory Coast, Baule people, 20th century
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Dimensions:
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Overall: 47.7cm
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AMICA Contributor:
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The Cleveland Museum of Art
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Owner Location:
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Cleveland, Ohio, USA
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ID Number:
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1971.297.2
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Credit Line:
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Gift of Katherine C. White
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Rights:
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Context:
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Baule figures are generally adorned with elaborate scarifications. In the past, the Baule viewed such permanent body decorations as "marks of civilization," alluding to the opposing worlds of the village and the bush. The name given to each pattern usually refers to what it resembles. Thus, crescent shapes on the belly and calves are called ngwa, or "moon"; vertical lines fanning out from the corners of the eyes are known as ako dya, or "chicken's feet." Representing the oldest Baule pattern, the scars on the temples of the male figure to the left are called ngole, or simply "marks." Even though body scarification is not as common among the Baule today, representing these body alterations on figural sculptures has not diminished in popularity.
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Related Image Identifier Link:
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CMA_.1971.297.2det03.tif
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