carved wood, long staff topped with a seated figure finial, caramel patina
Private collection, South Africa
Bernice and Terence Pethica Collection, acquired from the above
Published:
Published:
Klopper, Nettleton and Pethica, The Art of Southern Africa, The Terence Pethica Collection, 2007, n° 27
Note:
"Chokwe, Lunda, Lwene, Ovimbundu and Mbunda chiefs share a common ancestry. Regarded as representatives of God on earth, they were accountable for mediating between the living and the dead. As such, they were responsible for the health, success and fertility of their subjects. Staffs surmounted by male figures seated on stools or thrones underline the social and political status embodied in the office of the chief, who had the responsibility - and power - to secure the wellbeing of his community." Klopper, Nettleton and Pethica, 2007.