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Baule. <em>Figure of a Monkey, possibly for Mbra</em>, late 19th or early 20th century. Wood, pigment, sacrificial material, 22 x 5 1/4 x 7 3/4 in. (55.9 x 13.3 x 19.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Carll H. de Silver Fund, 2001.48. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 2001.48_threequarter_PS9.jpg)
Baule. Figure of a Monkey, possibly for Mbra, late 19th or early 20th century. Wood, pigment, sacrificial material, 22 x 5 1/4 x 7 3/4 in. (55.9 x 13.3 x 19.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Carll H. de Silver Fund, 2001.48. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 2001.48_threequarter_PS9.jpg)
Baule. <em>Figure of a Monkey, possibly for Mbra</em>, late 19th or early 20th century. Wood, pigment, sacrificial material, 22 x 5 1/4 x 7 3/4 in. (55.9 x 13.3 x 19.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Carll H. de Silver Fund, 2001.48. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 2001.48_threequarter_PS9.jpg)

Baule. Figure of a Monkey, possibly for Mbra, late 19th or early 20th century. Wood, pigment, sacrificial material, 22 x 5 1/4 x 7 3/4 in. (55.9 x 13.3 x 19.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Carll H. de Silver Fund, 2001.48. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 2001.48_threequarter_PS9.jpg)

Baule. <em>Figure of a Monkey, possibly for Mbra</em>, late 19th or early 20th century. Wood, pigment, sacrificial material, 22 x 5 1/4 x 7 3/4 in. (55.9 x 13.3 x 19.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Carll H. de Silver Fund, 2001.48. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 2001.48_front_bw.jpg)

Baule. Figure of a Monkey, possibly for Mbra, late 19th or early 20th century. Wood, pigment, sacrificial material, 22 x 5 1/4 x 7 3/4 in. (55.9 x 13.3 x 19.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Carll H. de Silver Fund, 2001.48. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 2001.48_front_bw.jpg)

Baule. <em>Figure of a Monkey, possibly for Mbra</em>, late 19th or early 20th century. Wood, pigment, sacrificial material, 22 x 5 1/4 x 7 3/4 in. (55.9 x 13.3 x 19.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Carll H. de Silver Fund, 2001.48. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CONS.2001.48_2003_xrs_detail01.jpg)

Baule. Figure of a Monkey, possibly for Mbra, late 19th or early 20th century. Wood, pigment, sacrificial material, 22 x 5 1/4 x 7 3/4 in. (55.9 x 13.3 x 19.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Carll H. de Silver Fund, 2001.48. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CONS.2001.48_2003_xrs_detail01.jpg)

Baule. <em>Figure of a Monkey, possibly for Mbra</em>, late 19th or early 20th century. Wood, pigment, sacrificial material, 22 x 5 1/4 x 7 3/4 in. (55.9 x 13.3 x 19.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Carll H. de Silver Fund, 2001.48. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 2001.48_threequarter_bw.jpg)

Baule. Figure of a Monkey, possibly for Mbra, late 19th or early 20th century. Wood, pigment, sacrificial material, 22 x 5 1/4 x 7 3/4 in. (55.9 x 13.3 x 19.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Carll H. de Silver Fund, 2001.48. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 2001.48_threequarter_bw.jpg)

Baule. <em>Figure of a Monkey, possibly for Mbra</em>, late 19th or early 20th century. Wood, pigment, sacrificial material, 22 x 5 1/4 x 7 3/4 in. (55.9 x 13.3 x 19.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Carll H. de Silver Fund, 2001.48. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CONS.2001.48_2003_xrs_detail02.jpg)

Baule. Figure of a Monkey, possibly for Mbra, late 19th or early 20th century. Wood, pigment, sacrificial material, 22 x 5 1/4 x 7 3/4 in. (55.9 x 13.3 x 19.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Carll H. de Silver Fund, 2001.48. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CONS.2001.48_2003_xrs_detail02.jpg)

Baule. <em>Figure of a Monkey, possibly for Mbra</em>, late 19th or early 20th century. Wood, pigment, sacrificial material, 22 x 5 1/4 x 7 3/4 in. (55.9 x 13.3 x 19.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Carll H. de Silver Fund, 2001.48. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CONS.2001.48_2003_xrs_detail03.jpg)

Baule. Figure of a Monkey, possibly for Mbra, late 19th or early 20th century. Wood, pigment, sacrificial material, 22 x 5 1/4 x 7 3/4 in. (55.9 x 13.3 x 19.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Carll H. de Silver Fund, 2001.48. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CONS.2001.48_2003_xrs_detail03.jpg)

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Figure of a Monkey, possibly for Mbra

Arts of Africa

Mbra figures are carved in the form of a baboon. They are meant to serve as a means of contacting a spirit force. The spirit is believed to possess an individual and assist that person in divining the future. The baboon form is meant to shock, intimidate, and impress with the power of the wild. To honor the spirit, offerings of blood, eggs and millet beer are made to the figure, producing the encrusted surface of this piece.

CULTURE Baule
MEDIUM Wood, pigment, sacrificial material
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATIONS
DATES late 19th or early 20th century
DIMENSIONS 22 x 5 1/4 x 7 3/4 in. (55.9 x 13.3 x 19.7 cm)  (show scale)
COLLECTIONS Arts of Africa
ACCESSION NUMBER 2001.48
CREDIT LINE Carll H. de Silver Fund
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Standing male figure with legs flexed holding a bowl. Head is in the form of a baboon or monkey with open mouth and teeth painted white. Condition: An old crack extends from upper jaw to top of head. Along this crack, in proper right eyebrow, a small chip approximately 1/4 inch x 1/4 inch is missing. Other areas, including legs, back, arms, and shoulders, show varying degrees of deterioration and old insect damage.
MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
CAPTION Baule. Figure of a Monkey, possibly for Mbra, late 19th or early 20th century. Wood, pigment, sacrificial material, 22 x 5 1/4 x 7 3/4 in. (55.9 x 13.3 x 19.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Carll H. de Silver Fund, 2001.48. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 2001.48_threequarter_PS9.jpg)
IMAGE 3/4, 2001.48_threequarter_PS9.jpg., 2017
"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.
RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
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Baule. <em>Figure of a Monkey, possibly for Mbra</em>, late 19th or early 20th century. Wood, pigment, sacrificial material, 22 x 5 1/4 x 7 3/4 in. (55.9 x 13.3 x 19.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Carll H. de Silver Fund, 2001.48. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 2001.48_threequarter_PS9.jpg)

TAGS

figure
ivory coast
monkey
wood
x-ray

TAGS

figure
ivory coast
monkey
wood
x-ray

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