Dignitary staff
Angola, Songo
not available anymore
Provenance
Portuguese CollectionSize
H: 46,5 cm
H: 18.3 inch
Description
wood, dark brown patina, the shaft completely wrapped in fabric and strings of coloured glass beads, janus head with flat side lobes, surmounted by two human half figures, min. dam., small missing parts (figures, beads), socle;
the Songo are a small ethnical group in Angola on the left banks of the upper Kwango, to the west of the Chokwe. Like the other ethnic groups exposed to the artistic influence of the Chokwe - the Luena and Ngangela, also the Songo show similar style expressions, and the figures and mask are therefore sometimes not distinguishable from those of the Chokwe.