Baule Blolo or Spirit Spouse

In Baule belief, there is another world, and in it someone is waiting.

This blolo, or spirit spouse figure, was carved in wood by Baule carvers of the Ivory Coast in the 20th century. The Baule hold that each person has a partner in the other world, and figures like this one are made to honor and appease that spirit. She stands straight and slim, in a white dress, with painted eyes, rosy cheeks and red lips under a coiffure of black. Her skin is painted a soft pink, and the green base she stands on has the gentle wear of long use.

Twelve inches tall. Serene, a little formal, and entirely present.