Staff / Artist Unknown, African, Zulu peoples South Africa
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 2001/2.56
- Title
- Staff
- Artist Nationality
- South African
- Medium and Support
- wood
- Object Creation Date
- circa 1950
- Object Creation Place
- Africa (continent)
- South Africa (nation)
- Creation Place 1
- Africa (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- South Africa (nation)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Margaret H. and Albert J. Coudron
- Dimensions
- 118 cm x 4 cm x 4 cm (46 7/16 in. x 1 9/16 in. x 1 9/16 in.)
- Primary Object Classification
- Costume and Costume Accessory
- Primary Object Type
- staff
- Secondary Object Classification
- Ritual Objects
- Secondary Object Type
- carving
- Physical Description
- Slightly curved staff, topped by two snakes spiraling around each other, followed by an open-worked carving of three smaller "pillars" set between ornamental carved elements above and below. On the lower half of the staff are a series of carved, protruding knobs distributed around all sides of the shaft between carved ornamental bands.
- Subject Matter
- Zulu carvers, like other African artists, have long adapted their skills to serve different markets-- in this case, that of European buyers and of local dignitaries. The influx of British soldiers into the region following the Anglo-Boer and Southern African Wars of the late 19th century seems to have stimulated the production of staffs (and other carvings) originally intended for local consumption by either chiefs or, somewhat later on, wealthy individuals. The spiralling snake motif, in particular, is very common among many southern African peoples and has long been popular with colonial officers collecting souvenirs from the places where they were stationed. The varied relations between carvers of different backgrounds, adapting and inventing new styles, and a heterogeneous group of African and European buyers makes the attribution of objects to a single ethnic group problematic.
- Secondary Keywords
- equipment
- equipment by context
- equipment for personal use
- objects
- objects we use
- tools and equipment
- walking sticks
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Image Size
- 836 x 1502
- File Size
- 60 KB
- Record
- 2001/2.56
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2001-sl-2.56/2001_2.56.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
Portfolios
- In public portfolios
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:2001-SL-2.56:2001_2.56.JPG
Cite this Item
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- Full citation
-
"Staff; Artist Unknown, African, Zulu peoples South Africa." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2001-sl-2.56/2001_2.56.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 25, 2024.
