Staff / Artist Unknown, African, Kongo peoples Democratic Republic of the Congo
Viewer
About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 2001/2.42
- Title
- Staff
- Artist Nationality
- Congolese (Zairean)
- Medium and Support
- wood, paint
- Object Creation Date
- 1900-1970
- Object Creation Place
- Africa (continent)
- Congo, Democratic Republic of the (nation)
- Creation Place 1
- Africa (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- Congo, Democratic Republic of the (nation)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Margaret H. and Albert J. Coudron
- Inscription
- FX92257 near bottom in white paint
- Dimensions
- 132.8 cm x 5.5 cm x 6 cm (52 5/16 in. x 2 3/16 in. x 2 3/8 in.)
- Primary Object Classification
- Costume and Costume Accessory
- Primary Object Type
- staff
- Secondary Object Classification
- Ritual Objects
- Secondary Object Type
- carving
- Physical Description
- Elaborately carved staff with, from the top: a male figure wearing Western-style clothes, with painted eyes, eyebrows, mouth, moustache, hat and clothes, sitting on a simple stool, resting his hands on his knees; a U-shaped snake on one side and a mortar on the other; a pair of a male and a female figure on either side (the male is standing on one leg, bending the other at the knee to make a triangle); a dark black spherical form; a row of three turtles on one side and two salamanders and a frog on the other; and finally three outstretched snakes (painted yellow, brown and red, respectively), one of them eating a small frog.
- Subject Matter
- In the precolonial kingdom of Kongo, royal staffs (called "mvwala," and often--unlike here-- topped by ivory carvings) showed the authority of the ruler and his control over occult forces. They were used primarily during judicial procedings and rituals. In this particular example, the European-style clothes worn by the male figure reflect the gifts and trade items that were exchanged by Kongolese and Portugues rulers and traders since the 1500s. The artistic representation of these items continued after the end of the actual trade and indicates the high status of the owner of the staff.
- Secondary Keywords
- ceremonial weapons
- objects
- objects we use
- sculpture
- sculpture by subject type
- statues
- visual works
- visual works by medium or technique
- weapons
- weapons and ammunition
- 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
- 746 x 1500
- File Size
- 112 KB
- Record
- 2001/2.42
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2001-sl-2.42/2001_2.42.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:2001-SL-2.42:2001_2.42.JPG
Cite this Item
View the Help Guide for more information.
- Full citation
-
"Staff; Artist Unknown, African, Kongo peoples Democratic Republic of the Congo." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2001-sl-2.42/2001_2.42.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 24, 2024.
