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HOME :
African & Tribal Art :
Kongo, Yombe : Kongo Wooden Staff
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Kongo Wooden Staff - PF.3797
Origin: Southwestern Congo
Circa: 20
th
Century AD
Dimensions:
40.5" (102.9cm) high
Collection: African
Medium: Wood
$6,000.00
Location: United States
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| Description |
Whenever pure emotion is made visible, either
spontaneously in life or through the medium of
art, it is a very moving experience. When a
human being invokes forces of the unknown, of
ancestral spirits, deities or the ineffable Spirit of
God, our own emotions are touched, as if a
common fibre of humanity is strung like strings
of a harp to our collective souls.
Naked and humbled, proud and defiant, this
beautiful woman kneels on a pinnacle looking
upwards in supplication; her mouth open, her
eyes narrowed as if in a trance, her hands
resting gently on her knees. Each gesture shows
her humility and vulnerability before forces
greater than herself, yet she crowns the staff and
is dominant over it. Its slim, elegant form is like a
gorgeous plant interlaced with delicate patterns
and designs which have the effect of making our
eyes lift upwards, following the folds and curves
up to the peak of the woman's cap and beyond.
Such staffs were symbols of wealth, authority
and respect. During palavers (public
discussions), a messenger would hold the
scepter in his hand to show that he had indeed
been sent by his chief. These scepters or mvuala,
were usually surmounted by refined female
figures, occasionally containing relics. Because of
its beauty it is a work of art; because of its inner
nature, exemplified by the heartfelt emotions of
the woman, it is more monumental than its
height, making us lift our own eyes to the
heavens and feel the forces that caress our lives.
- (PF.3797)
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