Asie Usu

Baule · Côte d’Ivoire

Reference: EMS-60

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Height
64 cm
Material
Wood and pigments

It is the geniuses or spirits of nature that can intervene in the world of humans by granting them their favors or tormenting them. As in…

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Full original description

It is the geniuses or spirits of nature that can intervene in the world of humans by granting them their favors or tormenting them. As in the case of the husbands of the other world, the diviner will advise that a wooden image be made as beautiful as possible because some geniuses or spirits of nature are so horrible and countered that in their dealings with humans they want to adopt a more convenient appearance and to resemble them in all possible ways and that therefore the habitation that incarnates them is as pleasant as possible in the eyes of humans and also to be of the likes of the genius so that feeling satisfied to dwell in it is propitiatory. Thus the sculptor who performs the work will try to make a representation as beautiful as possible. Usually the character of these statuettes is usually sitting on a throne Akan and wear a long beard and sometimes an egg in the hand, symbol of the universe, which only affirms the authority of the genius, while extolling his majestic authority.

Beautiful black patina and capsarrabos. Braided beard, apparently vestige of the passage of the Egyptians through these lands. The egg represents the creation of the world.

Further technical information
Width
14 cm
Attributed period
Mid-century XX
Recorded weight
3 g

Details transcribed from the original catalogue; they are not a recent physical inspection.

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Côte d’Ivoire. The country associated with the catalog is shown, not the current location of the piece.

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Attributions, dates and accounts come from the preserved catalogue. They do not constitute certification of authenticity or provenance. An object’s presence on this website does not mean it is available for sale.

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