Baule Monkey Figure, Ivory Coast

Pace Primitive and Ancient Art, New York
Allan Stone, New York

Very good condition for an object of this type and age. Orderly scratches (presumably from ritual scraping) around edges of head, hands, cup, and upper body. Old wedge-shaped age crack to front of integrally-carved plinth between feet. Age cracks including through proper left eyebrow through proper left side of face and into proper left arm and to front of belly, and areas around these cracks toned in. Fine aged blackened patina with red and white pigment. Bolted to modern wood base with two screws. Chips to base.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Vogel (1997: 239) notes: "In many ways an asye usu [Bush spirit] is the exact opposite of the ideal klo sran, person of the village, and the contrast helps to define an ideal human being. Bush spirits are destructive, but humans should be productive and accumulate wealth through hard work; bush spirits are capricious, but humans in society are orderly and predictable; bush spirits are filthy and deformed, but a human being is ideally beautiful and clean. [...] implicit in the pattern of beliefs about bush spirits is the idea that human nature includes an irrational, antisocial bush side." 

The iconography of the monkey lies between human and animal, village and the bush. Vogel (1997: 238) explains: Baule monkey figures "combine human and animal traits in such a way that it is nearly impossible to separate them, and they have the prominent teeth and boxy muzzle typical of the masks.  Both also receive sacrificial offerings directly on the wood sculpture, and are associated with the bush."