Staff of office ·  D. R. Congo, Luba · ID: 3033628

Description

wood, brown patina, board-shaped flattened intersections, partly engraved with fine notched diamond-shaped patterns, crowned by a seated figure , fissures, minor missing parts, slight traces of abrasion;
the numerous dignitaries within the hierarchy of the erstwhile Luba-Empire - king, regional sovereign, village chief and clan eldest - disposed of a rich supply of administrative signs. The most frequently used signs of dignity are staffs of office, like the present one. The broad sections of Luba staffs, called “dibulu”, represent the administrative centers that are part of every royal capital.

The object Staff of office with the object ID 3033628 was last part of the auction 70th tribal art auction at September 8, 2012 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 434.

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Comparing literature

Roberts, Mary Nooter, Memory, New York 1996, p. 33, ill. 6