Dignitary staff ·  Angola, Ovimbundu · ID: 3033459

Description

wood, reddish brown patina, blackened in parts, wooden shaft, circular in cross section, crowned by a human head with cross tattoos on the cheeks, coiffure of two lobes joined to a rectangle, min. dam., cracks, slight traces of abrasion, on base;
staffs are multi-functional. They are called title, ritual or chief’s staff. They were, and in many areas still are, a status symbol, a distinguishing mark or tool, used by a wide range of ritual specialists, such as headman, diviners, healers, exorcists, and witch hunters, in a great variety of ways.

The object Dignitary staff with the object ID 3033459 was last part of the auction 70th tribal art auction at September 8, 2012 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 496 achieved a sales price of EUR 600.

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