Baule Asye Usu figure
Divinatory rites of the Baule
In the artistic conceptions of the Baule, aesthetic research is essential and responds to a single concern: that of pleasing the spirits of the bush who must be flattered by the beauty of the sculpture they must come to inhabit.
This is how Baule African art is known as one of the most refined.
The African statue that I propose to you here represents the Baule aesthetic canons but also bears a thick patina of use. This tells us that it is an asia usu type figure.
The African asie usu (or asye usu) statues of the Baule were used by the komien soothsayers who dedicated sacrificial libations to them. This is how this crust was created, absent from another type of statue, the blolo (cosmic couples) with a smoother patina.
This statue was used by a diviner and his clients to attract the graces and services of a bush spirit. During the divination sessions, the diviner was possessed by the spirit, through the intermediary of the statue.
Once the sessions were over, the asie usu returned to a dedicated altar called bo osu where the diviner offered him sacrifices (see photo).
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Data sheet
- Size
- Ethnic group
- Material(s)
- Wood
- Country
- Condition
- Excellent
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Divinatory rites of the Baule
In the artistic conceptions of the Baule, aesthetic research is essential and responds to a single concern: that of pleasing the spirits of the bush who must be flattered by the beauty of the sculpture they must come to inhabit.
This is how Baule African art is known as one of the most refined.
The African statue that I propose to you here represents the Baule aesthetic canons but also bears a thick patina of use. This tells us that it is an asia usu type figure.
The African asie usu (or asye usu) statues of the Baule were used by the komien soothsayers who dedicated sacrificial libations to them. This is how this crust was created, absent from another type of statue, the blolo (cosmic couples) with a smoother patina.
This statue was used by a diviner and his clients to attract the graces and services of a bush spirit. During the divination sessions, the diviner was possessed by the spirit, through the intermediary of the statue.
Once the sessions were over, the asie usu returned to a dedicated altar called bo osu where the diviner offered him sacrifices (see photo).