22 - 𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗕𝗲́𝗸𝗿𝗲́, 𝗕𝗮𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗲́, 𝗖𝗼̂𝘁𝗲 𝗱’𝗜𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗿𝗲

𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗕𝗲́𝗸𝗿𝗲́, 𝗕𝗮𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗲́, 𝗖𝗼̂𝘁𝗲 𝗱’𝗜𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗿𝗲 19th century Wood, textiles, encrusted sacrificial offerings H. 55 cm Straddling the line between bestiality and domesticated delicacy, these cup-bearing statues—commonly known as “gbèkrè”—form a unique body of work that attests to the rich creative diversity of the Baoulé people. In stark contrast to the refined and delicate ideals of beauty that generally characterize their art, these traditionally cynocephalic statues strike the viewer with their power and their heightened, wild strength. Imbued with ferocity, they command attention through their build, stature, facial features, and thick, unctuous patina. First mentioned in 1900 by Maurice Delafosse, these works belong to one of the oldest Ivorian sculptural traditions (Claessens and Danis 2016, p. 31). Their features encapsulate beliefs in a feared supernatural entity. Unlike most works in the corpus, this example is also distinguished by the rarity of its facial treatment. Unlike the typically zoomorphic representations, it here adopts a human physiognomy. There are believed to be about ten works with this facial appearance: “Among a group of cup-bearers, the vast majority of whom have zoomorphic heads, fewer than twelve feature human faces. While they share the standing posture, raised forearms, the offering cup carved from the same piece of wood, and the sacrificial residues found on the zoomorphic figures, their foreheads, eyes, noses, mouths, necks, and ears are human in appearance. ” (Claessens and Danis 2016). 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 - Giovanni Franco Scanzi, Genoa (Italy) 𝗟𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲́𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 Main bibliographic references cited Raymond Borremans, A Brief History of Grand-Bassam: 1469–1981, n.p., n.d. Susan Mullin Vogel, Baule: African Art, Western Eyes, exhibition catalog [New Haven, Yale University Art Gallery, 1997], London, Yale University Press, 1997 Susan Mullin Vogel, Baoulé Art: The Visible and the Invisible, Paris, Adam Biro, 1999 Jacques Kerchache and Vincent Bouloré (eds.), Sculptures: Africa, Asia, Oceania, the Americas, exhibition catalog [Paris, Musée du Louvre, Pavillon des Sessions, April 2000], Paris, RMN; Musée du quai Branly-Jacques Chirac, 2000 Bruno Claessens and Jean-Louis Danis, Baule Monkeys, Brussels, Fonds Mercator, 2016