Mende ritual scepter. West Africa. 20th century

Descriptio Carved wooden staff with seed rattles. Dimensions: 80 x 11 cm. Ceremonial staff of the Mende people, carved with superimposed human figures and adorned with dried seeds that rattle when moved. This type of staff symbolizes authority and is used in ritual and social contexts, associated with leadership and the Sande women’s secret societies. An ethnographic piece of great symbolic power and sculptural expressiveness. Provenance: private collection, Madrid. Due to its age and history of use, this lot may show signs of wear and previous interventions. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, no specialized technical testing has been performed. The absence of any mention of restorations does not guarantee that none exist. You may request additional information before placing a bid. This does not affect the buyer’s statutory rights.

Estimate:£2,509.29

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