Staff of Office
Sanctified by a ritual specialist and enhanced with medicinal substances, the staff possessed supernatural qualities and was endowed with healing power. Luba staffs are among the most important regalia of Luba kings. The metal point alludes to the kingdom's stability and durability. Each staff has its own distinctive iconography to reflect regional styles. As Chief Msidi (former owner of this staff) ruled over the Yeke kingdom (and not the Luba kingdom), it begs the question of how he acquired this symbol of another realm's power.
Details
- Palette
-
Select a color to find related artworks.
- Medium
- Wood and iron
- Dimensions
- overall: height 1.7 m, width 0.133 m
- Department
- African Art
- Holding institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Image provider
- cleveland-museum-of-art
- License
- CC0-1.0
- Credit
- John L. Severance Fund
Art Genome Taxonomy
12 tags
Subject Matter
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Royalty and Aristocracy Metadata · 95%
The catalog discusses the staff as royal regalia and identifies Chief Msidi, a ruler of the Yeke kingdom, as its former owner.
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Human Figure Visual · 97%
Frontal carved human imagery is visibly integrated into the upper and lower expanded sections of the staff.
Visual Qualities
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Highly Ornamented Visual · 96%
The staff has densely incised geometric decoration, modeled faces and figures, and repeated ornamental treatment across its expanded sections.
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Patterns Visual · 94%
Repeated incised lines create crosshatched, diamond-like, and banded surface patterns.
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Symmetrical Visual · 91%
The elongated object is organized around a strong vertical axis, with broadly balanced frontal sections and centrally placed imagery.
Medium and Techniques
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Sculpture Both · 99%
The museum classifies the work as sculpture, and the image clearly shows a freestanding, three-dimensional carved staff with relief and modeled human forms.
Time Periods
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19th Century Art Metadata · 99%
The catalog dates the object to the early to mid-1800s, placing it in the nineteenth century.
Geographic Regions
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Middle African Art Metadata · 99%
The recorded place of origin is Central Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, associated with the Luba.
Materials
Cultural and Religious Styles
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Traditional African Art Metadata · 94%
The museum places the object within Luba cultural practice and classifies it within African Art.
Antiquities, Artifacts, and Religious Objects
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Ceremonial Object Metadata · 98%
The catalog identifies the staff as important regalia of Luba kings and describes its ritual sanctification and ceremonial significance.
Source & rights
Unknown artist. Staff of Office. Cleveland Museum of Art.