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X94.18.2 Otherworld husband (blolo bian) & X94.17.2 Otherworld wife (blolo bla)
Object Name: Otherworld wife (blolo bla) | Otherworld husband (blolo bian)
Artist: Unknown
Culture: Baule peoples
Place of Origin: Côte d’Ivoire
Date/Era: 20th Century
Dimensions: H: 31.0 cm, W: 7.5 cm, D: 8.0 cm (H: 12.2 in, W: 2.9 in, D: 3.1 in) | H: 33.6 cm
Medium/Materials: Wood and paint
Credit Line: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Anonymous gift.
Accession Number: X94.17.2 | X94.18.2
Each of these figures was created at the recommendation of a diviner to represent the “otherworld mate” of a Baule man or woman. Offerings made to the figure would help resolve problems relating to marriage, sexuality, or fertility. These figures are not a pair and were carved separately in response to the needs of two different people.
Source: Gallery text, Intersections: World Arts, Local Lives, 2006.
See also: Marla C. Berns, World Arts, Local Lives: The Collections of the Fowler Museum at UCLA. Fowler Museum, Los Angeles, 2014.
