Blolo bian (Male Spirit Spouse Figure)

Former TitleTrance Diviner's Figure

CultureAkan peoples, Baule subgroup

Date19th century

MediumWood, brass beads, fiber and cloth

DimensionsOverall: 19 1/2 × 5 1/2 × 6 inches (49.53 × 13.97 × 15.24 cm)

Credit LineGift of Adele and Donald Hall

Object number2025.33.2

On View

Not on view

Terms

DescriptionThis male figure sits on a rectangular stool. A conical coiffure, stylized ears, closed eyes, a long nose, pursed lips, and an undercut chin with a goatee characterize the head. The neck is decorated with linear scarification and a fiber necklace with a brass charm. The arms bend forward; the proper right hand holds a knob-like form above the right knee. Ten arm bands decorate the proper left arm. Raised scarification decorates the region between the pectoral muscles and the navel. The lower back is covered with four rectangular scarification patterns; the upper back is decorated with six. A blue and white cloth is wrapped around the waist and between the legs. The surface is characterized by a shiny brown patina.Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Magnificent Gifts for the 75th, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, February 13-April 4, 2010.

Provenance

Acquired by Gaston Taieb de Havenon (1904-1993), New York, NY, by 1978;

Purchased from de Havenon by Adele (1932-2013) and Donald (1928-2024) Hall, Kansas City, MO, 1978-2024;

Their gift, through the Donald J. Hall Revocable Trust, to The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 2025 [1].

NOTES:

[1] Prior to being formally accessioned into the collection, the object was a promised gift made by the Hall family in 2009 in honor of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art's 75th anniversary.

Published References

David A. Binkley, A Private Passion: The Donald and Adele Hall Collection of African Art (Seattle: Marquand Books, 2015), 100-101, (repro.).

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