A well-carved processional staff most probably for a woman’s cult, or for the Egungun, a type of Yoruba ritual masquerade. The staff being topped by a queen-like figure suggests that it was meant to be held by a very high-ranking figure, if a not a queen herself.
According to Celenko (1983, p. 104), Celenko, T., A Treasury of African Art from the Harrison Eiteljorg Collection, Indiana University Press, 1983. ‘Multi-figured staffs of this type, which are carried by women in the rituals of various cults, have been documented among the Ketu and other subgroups living along the Nigeria/Benin border.’
The bird at the bottom is eroded from age and contact with the earth.
25" height x 2 1/2" width x 3 1/2" depth.
Mounted on a 4 1/2" square metal base.
