Carved as a lid for a storage vessel, with a baboon or gbekre figure to protect the contents.
The gbekre figures are popular among the Baule people. The function of the gbekre
figures is understood in terms of the centrality of agriculture in
Baule life demonstrated in the annual harvest festival in rural areas,
in which the first yam, the major staple food, is symbolically offered
to the ancestors. Gbekre are placed as guardians at the gates of
villages, but they are also considered the patron of the farmers.
According to Baule mythology, the baboon and other ape figures
symbolize the son of the god of heaven. It receives the offerings for
this deity to ensure the protection and fertility of the farmers' crops.
The Baule use of the baboon figure can be attributed to the apes'
closeness to humankind, alluding to a higher, spiritual being.
Height: 8 ¾" x Width: 3 ½" x Depth: 3 ¾"
