A well handled beautiful staff from Ethiopia with a rich brown patina. Probably used as an orator's stick.
The staff has a human face carved at the top and it is carved into a cone at the bottom.
In Africa, staffs have long had numerous and varied uses, ranging from the purely utilitarian function as walking-sticks to more exalted roles pertaining to spiritual, political or prestige matters. In addition, they sometimes communicate specific messages through their iconography, thus serving as documents whose sculpted forms can be understood as narratives. The degree of specialization in the use of staffs by any group generally corresponds directly to the complexity of a staff's decoration. - Africa The Art of A Continent
Size: Approx. 30½ inches long
Condition: Good used condition. Condition issues: Large split down the front , several smaller splits on the head. constant with age. The staff is in good solid condition.