blolo bla Wood, pigment height 19in (48cm) Provenance French Private Collection Standing on feet with clearly delineated finger-like toes, the proportionally small legs are elegantly carved in the round with muscular calves, slightly bent at the knees adding to the grace and balance of the overall presentation; the elongated torso with diminutive breasts is decorated with raised cicatrice in squared patterns above each breast and concentric lines below; the hands with clearly defined long fingers rest peacefully on the abdomen, framing the protruding navel; the powerful, cylindrical neck with bands of vertical cicatrice decor support her spherical head with classic Baule facial features, including arched brows over coffee-bean eyes with heavy lids, linear nose, slightly protruding lips and cicatrice elements as accents; and, of course, no exquisite Baule sculptural figure would be complete without an elaborate, finely incised coiffure; smooth, blackened and reflective patina with wear and encrustations indicative of much traditional care and use.