id:			146110
accession number:	1971.297
share license status:	CC0
url:			https://clevelandart.org/art/1971.297
updated:		2022-06-22 09:01:05.300000

Figure Pair (asye usu), late 1800s to early 1900s. Africa, West Africa, Côte d’Ivoire, Baule-style carver. Wood, resin, glass beads, plant fiber, and metal; part 1: 49.5 x 9.1 x 13 cm (19 1/2 x 3 9/16 x 5 1/8 in.); part 2: 47.7 x 10 x 11 cm (18 3/4 x 3 15/16 x 4 5/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Katherine C. White 1971.297

title:				Figure Pair (asye usu)
title in original language:	
series:				
series in original language:	
creation date:			late 1800s to early 1900s
creation date earliest:		1880
creation date latest:		1935
current location:		108A Sub-Saharan
creditline:			Gift of Katherine C. White
copyright:			

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culture:	Africa, West Africa, Côte d’Ivoire, Baule-style carver
technique:	Wood, resin, glass beads, plant fiber, and metal
department:	African Art
collection:	African Art
type:		Sculpture
find spot:	
catalogue raisonne: 

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CREATORS

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measurements: Part 1: 49.5 x 9.1 x 13 cm (19 1/2 x 3 9/16 x 5 1/8 in.); Part 2: 47.7 x 10 x 11 cm (18 3/4 x 3 15/16 x 4 5/16 in.)
state of the work:	
edition of the work: 	

support materials:


inscriptions:

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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS

* CMA 1968: "African Tribal Images: The Katherine White Reswick Collection," cat. no. 85, repr.<br>CMA 1973: "Year in Review 1972," CMA Bulletin LX (March, 1973), p. 107, no. 38, repr. p. 105.<br>Cleveland, Ohio:  The Cleveland Museum of Art; January 7- March 9, 2003.  " Object in Focus: Male (blolo bian) and Female (blolo bla) Spirit Partner Figures, Africa, Ivory Coast, Baule, c. 1930s [wood; 1971.297.1-2] "

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PROVENANCE

	Katherine C. White (aka Katherine Merkel, Katherine Reswick)
	date: ?-1971
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


	The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH by gift
	date: 1971-
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


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fun fact: 


digital description: 


wall description: 
Baule figures carved as pairs usually represent untamed spirits of the wilderness called <em>asye usu.</em> These spirits may intervene in the lives of individuals by taking possession of them. If this possession does not result in madness, it can lead to the human host’s becoming a diviner who can enter into a trance to reveal the causes of ailments and other misfortunes. People who feel their lives are being interrupted by the asye usu commission carvings representing idealized male and female forms whose grace and beauty in both anatomy and adornment will seduce the spirits and compel them to use the sculptures as their temporary homes.
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RELATED WORKS

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CITATIONS

	Petridis, Constantijn. <em>South of the Sahara: selected works of African art. </em>Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2003.
	page number: 	Reproduced: cat. 17, p. 64 - 65
	url:		

	Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Museum Masters: 2016-17 Companion Guide.</em> [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art,  2016.
	page number: 	Mentioned and Reproduced: P. 14
	url:		

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IMAGES

web:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1971.297/1971.297_web.jpg
print:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1971.297/1971.297_print.jpg
full:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1971.297/1971.297_full.tif