Figurally carved staff · R. D. Congo, Bakongo · ID: 3032592
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Provenance
Emil Maetzel, Hamburg, GermanyChristie’s Paris, Art Africain et Océanien, 1 décembre 2010, lot 80
Description
wood, blackish patina, crowned by a couple, sitting opposite to each other with their arms and legs entangled, the head of one figure looking to the contemplator, while the head of the second figure is turned to the back, slightly dam., on blocklike base;
the motif of an embracing couple can be found on prestige objects. Staffs in general have many functions. Called ceremonial, title, ritual or chief’s staffs, they were, and in many areas still are, a status symbol, a distinguishing mark or a tool, used by a wide range of ritual specialists, such as headman, female leaders of lineages or associations, diviners, healers, exorcists, and witch hunters, in a variety of ways.