The Baule are one of the Akan peoples. They moved west to the Ivory Coast more than 200 years ago and adopted sculptural and masking traditions from their neighbors, the Guro, Senufo and Yaure peoples.

Baule figures can be among the most elegant and designed pieces in Africa. Many show careful execution of face, coiffure and scarification details, with refined forms but no loss of expressiveness and power. The quiet, dignified figures embody spirits from the other world. They functioned as the home of a spirit to whom sacrifices were made and had to be placated with care. Asye usu figures were the abode of spirits associated with diviners. In ritual performances the spirit would come out to possess the diviner, causing a trance. The display of the figures would enhance and support the ensuing dance.

This Baule figure of a man, which remains in immaculate condition, is instantly recognisable as a regal figure due to its seated position with legs bent at right angles as the buttocks rests on an animal figure below. The figure raises both hands to its beard which is beautifully styled, in accordance with the hair. The beard and hair frame the delicately serene facial features of this figure. There are examples of scarification on the belly, decorating the symbolic and spiritual aspect of the body,