Baule Bronze Female Bust, Based

A head, a bust, and a very long green patina.

Baule casters of the Ivory Coast, West Africa, made this female bust in bronze in the 20th century. Baule artists are known above all for carved wood figures, though cast metal pieces appear too. A tall, rounded head sits above narrow shoulders and a lumpy, abstracted chest. The surface is mottled, olive and mossy green over darker bronze, pitted like weathered stone. It is fixed to a slim rod on a square black base.

About 4 inches tall, plus the stand. A small mystery that asks very little of the shelf.