Artifact Record Details
Copyright of the Spurlock Museum. Not-for-profit use allowed for personal, educational, and/or research purposes only, not for publication.
To request permission for publication or other use, please contact the Spurlock Museum Registrar.
Basic Information |
||
|---|---|---|
| Artifact Identification | Carving: Standing Votive Figure (1983.05.0015) | |
| Classification | Communications Artifacts : Ceremonial Artifact : Figure | |
| Visual Description | None | |
| Artist/Maker | None | |
| Geographic Location | Africa, Côte d'Ivoire | |
| Period/Date | , 20th century | |
| Culture | Baule | |
| Locality/Archaeological Site | ||
Physical Analysis |
||
| Dimension 1 (Height) | 39.0 cm | |
| Dimension 2 (Width) | 7.6 cm | |
| Dimension 3 (Depth) | 7.5 cm | |
| Weight | 797 g | |
| Measuring Remarks | 45.5 is the height including the stand. | |
| Materials | Wood, Glass, Plant | |
| Manufacturing Processes | Carving, Beading, Painting, Staining | |
| Munsell Color Information | Dark Brown (7.5 Y R 2/2) -ns | |
Research Remarks |
||
| Published Description | N/A | |
| Scholarly Notes | 3/13/2008: "SPIRIT SPOUSE: Among the Baule, every person born into this world has a husband or wife in the world they come from. In times of marital difficulty or infertility, a diviner may suggest that a carving of that spouse be commissioned and given offerings to placate its jealous or restless nature. The more beautifully crafted the figure is, the more successful it will be in localizing the particular spirit which is causing problems for this individual. (#) Spirit spouse. Wood sculpture. 83.5.15, 90.10xx? Gift of Richard and Barbara Faletti. " - Unknown Name, Unknown Date. Baule, female figure with raised scarification and incised coiffure - Ivory Coast. - E. Robertson, 12/14/83 Standing female figure. Pouting mouth, scarification. White pigment on scarification. Arms in half relief on body. Legs foreshortened. Egg-shaped head. Beads around neck. Standing on base 6.5 cm high, included in height measurement. Probably a spirit spouse. - V. Busenbark, ca. 1991 May not be gift of Faletti. - R. Faletti, 7/14/97 It could be a "spirit wife" (blolo bla) or a nature spirit (asie usu). It is impossible to tell the difference without specific contextual information as to how it was used. - N. Hawkes, 11/5/98 Is gift of Faletti. - R. Faletti, 2000 Many of these 1983.05 pieces list Eric Robertson. I don't know the source for this attribution, but Eric had nothing to do with those pieces. - R. Faletti, 2000 | |
| Comparanda | N/A | |
| Bibliography | Christie's. Catalog: Tribal Art, 6-22-81, fig 72. Sieber, Roy. African Art in the Cycle of Life. Smithsonian Inst. Press. 1987. p. 69. Sotheby's - New York. Catalogue for 12-2-83 Vogel, Susan, ed. For Spirits and Kings. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 1981, p. 73. | |
Artifact History |
||
| Archaeological Data | N/A | |
| Credit Line/Dedication | Richard and Barbara Faletti Family Collection | |
| Reproduction | no | |
| Reproduction Information | N/A | |