Baule
Female Spirit Spouse (Blolo Bla)
Baule, 1900-1932
Scroll
Baule
Female Spirit Spouse (Blolo Bla)
Baule, 1900-1932
Physical Qualities
Wood, 13 x 3 1/8 x 3 3/8 in. (33 x 8 x 8.5 cm.)
Credit Line
The Cone Collection, formed by Dr. Claribel Cone and Miss Etta Cone of Baltimore, Maryland
Object Number
1950.384
The perfect bodies, glowing skin, and composed expressions of these Baule sculptures were intended to flatter a troublesome spouse—from the spirit world. Before birth, souls live in another world, where they may be married. When a person marries in our world, a jealous spirit spouse can cause arguments or infertility.
A man or woman who suspects a spiritual cause of such problems will commission a beautiful sculpture from an accomplished artist. The sculpture is then consecrated as a place for the spirit spouse to dwell, and kept covered in a private part of the home. Despite beautiful details, such as the complex hairstyle on the spirit wife or the delicate facial markings on the figures, only one living person and a spirit would have enjoyed each of these artworks.
African Reinstallation
African Wing Rotations 2025
Frederick Lamp, BMA, 'In the Image of Woman,' July 1983, no. 8.
