Staff, Chokwe, D.R.C. and Angola
28” tall
ex private US collection
An interesting and unusual staff which didn’t have an attribution when I purchased it. I had originally thought it might be Kuba because of the depiction of the bat and insect on the top section because some Kuba objects have animals and insects on them, but in researching further it was the drum depicted on the staff, and assistance from others, that led me to the Chokwe attribution. I haven’t found a comparable example style-wise to this one, but it is an old example with definite signs of age and use. It is adorned with brass tacks, most of which are now missing with only traces left. The shaft of the staff has what I believe to be a turtle, two drums, a person and a bird. The section just below the top has a bat on one side and some kind of insect on the other. It is unclear to me what the four-pointed depiction is on one side of the top of the staff.
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