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Wood shaft with spherical knob on end. Shaft is wrapped in fine wire in six sections, braiding in copper or brass wire in second section.
Prestige Staff
Courtesy of the Harn Museum of Art, Photography by Foad Seyed Mohammadi

Prestige Staff

Maker Swazi Artist
Date20th century
Place of originSwaziland, Africa
MediumWood, metal, wire
Dimensions27 1/2 in. (69.9 cm)
ClassificationsFurnishings and Equipment
Credit LineGift of Norma Canelas Roth and William D. Roth
Object number2011.75.5
Collections
Visual DescriptionWood shaft with spherical knob on end. Shaft is wrapped in fine wire in six sections, braiding in copper or brass wire in second section.
Two or three headed serpent form, made of a plate with raised lines in shape of a stretched out N, with splayed ends; areas on the ends have twisted wire wrapping in two sections. Two knobs on the large inside curve, and a loop on the opposing side, similar loop on the top of the tail end. Color varies from silvery to bronze; surface has whitish patina and material appears to be a lost-wax casting using cuprous metal.
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Lobi Artist
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Spear with iron blade and opposing end sharpened as stabber; triangular blade with barbs on its shaft and incising; wood handle has incising, bulb in center with cross hatching; handle is wrapped in copper strips.
Double ended spear
Congolese Artist (Democratic Republic of Congo)
before 1953
Carved wooden shaft with faceted bulb and wrapped with copper strips; fitted with iron spear head, opposite end fitted with forged iron bell and iron ring.
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Congolese Artist (Democratic Republic of Congo)
pre-1953
Disks and strips made of bottle tops connected with thin copper wire; predominately gold and red
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El Anatsui
2003
Snuff container
Snuff container
Zimbabwean Artist
20th Century
Mottled orange and brown globular hollow gourd with removable lid, embellished with wire forming lozenge and quatrefoil shapes; hole on top, Stopper is missing.
Snuff container
Zimbabwean Artist
20th Century
Dark brown, globular hollow gourd with removable lid, embellished with wire forming foliate shapes and ring around the stopper on top.
Snuff container
Zimbabwean Artist
20th Century
Staff with shaft wrapped in strips of copper, with twisted strands forming core of handle; round cage on top and ovoid cage on handle, ending in spear blade.
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Igbo Artist
1969
Iron blade with twisted iron strands on shaft; copper wrapped wooden handle.
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African Artist
19th-20th century
A long, slender spear with a polished reddish-brown wooden shaft. The top features a flat, flared dark metal blade. The bottom ends in a pointed dark metal spike, just below a bound cluster of cowrie shells.
Spear
Liberian Artist
undated
Narrow wooden plank with legs striated by burning and small protrusion in center.
Headrest
Swazi Artist
20th century
Wood cylinder with knob on each end, wrapped with dark blue beads, upper half, and strands of white glass and other beads on lower half, including vertical strands of ostrich shell beads and clear and light green glass beads. Large mother of pearl button in the center; right arm made of strand of alternating light and dark glass beads. Left arm is missing, as are some other beads.
Child Figure (okana kositi)
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