Object Details
Maker
Baule artist
Label Text
Gold dazzles the eye and captures the attention. Baule leaders and elites own gold-covered wood figures, whisks and other prestige items to underscore their high position in society. These markers of status are part of a family's inheritance and are linked to ancestral forces and the soul of the family. Gold-covered objects are displayed at funerals and at certain masquerade performances and ceremonies associated with leadership.
Description
Wood display piece in the form of a jug, covered with gold leaf, with a face on the side of the jug.
Provenance
Unknown sculptor, Vallée du Bandama or Lacs District, Côte d'Ivoire; left Baule community under unknown circumstances. Acquired under unknown circumstances by A. Protopchaltis, Greece, 1920s; by descent to Mrs. Skopoulos, Greece [1]; sold to Alain de Monbrison (born 1947) with Galerie Monbrison, Paris, 1991; donated to the National Museum of African Art, Washington, D.C, 2005.
[1] Correspondence with Alain de Monbrison indicates that this piece was one of a pair with a gold-plated statue (2001-9-1). According to Monbrison, both pieces were acquired by A. Protopchaltis in Greece by the late 1920s and inherited by his relative Mrs. Skopoulos.
Exhibition History
African Mosaic: Selections from the Permanent Collection, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., November 19, 2013–August 12, 2019 (deinstalled July 9, 2019)
African Mosaic: Celebrating a Decade of Collecting, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., November 19, 2010-November 13, 2013
Published References
Vogel, Susan Mullin. 1997. Baule: African Art, Western Eyes. New Haven: Yale University Press, p. 200.
Vogel, Susan Mullin. 1999. L'art Baoule: du visible et de l'invisible. New Haven: Yale Univeristy in association with Editions Adam Biro. (French translation of 1997)
Content Statement
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Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. A. de Monbrison
Date
Late 19th-early 20th century
Object number
2005-8-1
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Sculpture
Medium
Wood, gold leaf, staples
Dimensions
H x W x D: 12 x 8.3 x 7 cm (4 3/4 x 3 1/4 x 2 3/4 in.)
Geography
Côte d'Ivoire
See more items in
National Museum of African Art Collection
Data Source
National Museum of African Art
Topic
Status
Human
male
Link to Original Record
Record ID
nmafa_2005-8-1