Detail of a Male Figure in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, February 2008

Diviner's Figures: Couple, 19th–20th century
Côte d'Ivoire; Baule
Wood, pigment, beads, iron; H x W x D: 21 13/16 x 4 x 4 1/8 in. (55.4 x 10.2 x 10.5 cm)
The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Gift of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1969 (1978.412.390-.391)

Baule diviners are consulted by people who desire assistance in solving significant problems, perhaps relating to childbearing or other health concerns. Sculptures are often an important presence in divining sessions. Diviners may inherit such works from older colleagues or commission them based on the direction of a spirit whose insights they draw upon in their professional consultations.

This pair of sculptures for a trance diviner is among the most renowned masterpieces of Baule art. Though depicted as separate male and female figures, they are perfectly harmonized through matched gestures, stances, and expressions. Together they reflect and embody Baule ideals of civilized beauty, with their elegant coiffures, scarifications, and beaded ornaments. Their slightly downturned gazes and contained postures and their powerful, muscular legs are testimony to the figures' respectful demeanor and youthful health.

Text from: www.metmuseum.org/works_of_art/collection_database/arts_o...