Staff Finial: Seated Figure

19th–early 20th century

Not on view

Returned to lender

This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.

When such figurative finials were collected by Europeans, not only was their specific history invariably lost, but they were often detached from their original staff. As a result, finials often survive as independent miniature sculptures on the most refined end of the spectrum of Kongo visual expression.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

References

Title: Staff Finial: Seated Figure
Artist: "Master of Concentric Circles"
Date: 19th–early 20th century
Geography: Democratic Republic of the Congo; Republic of the Congo; Cabinda, Angola
Culture: Kongo peoples
Medium: Ivory, metal
Dimensions: H. 6 1/2 in. (16.5 cm), W. 3 1/2 in. ( 8.9 cm), D. 3 3/4 in. (9.5 cm)
Classification: Bone/Ivory-Sculpture
Credit Line: Collection of Drs. Daniel and Marian Malcolm, Tenafly, New Jersey
Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing