A beautiful old female waka sona statuette, most probably an asie usu in view of the remnants of its sacrificial patina imprinted with kaolin. She is adorned with numerous scarifications, her finely chiseled hairstyle sculpted with a beautiful transversal bun, her hands on her belly and still wearing her woven cotton loincloth. The asie usu are incarnations of a bush genie, hideous monsters who are invited to live in the village in a beautiful and appropriate form. Baule statuettes in "activity" were always required to wear a loincloth and never to appear totally naked, in accordance with the ethics and rules of etiquette in force in Baule country. Baule, Ivory Coast Wood, cotton, pearls, remnants of kaolin and sacrificial materials, small cracks at the base (woodworm), very fine old oxidation of the wood, very fine old patina. H. 56.5 cm Provenance : Private collection, Germany Pierre Dartevelle, Brussels Marc Blanpain Collection, Brussels Publications and exhibitions: Grunne (de), Dreams of beauty. African Sculptures from the Blanpain Collection, 2005, no. 20, Luxembourg, Banque Générale du Luxembourg, October 25 - December 2, 2005 Giquello, Paris, Blanpain Collection, December 6, 2024, no. 10