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An Extremely Fine South African Tsonga Prestige Staff by the ‘Baboon Master'

About the Item

A Rare and Extremely Fine South African Tsonga Prestige Staff by the ‘Baboon Master’ Depicting a Zulu elder wearing a head-ring Superb silky reddish brown patina Late 19th Century Size: 104cm high - 41 ins high These staffs were used by indigenous Zulu leaders as ceremonial and important prestige items and were also carved for sale to European travellers and traders, soldiers and colonists who would purchase them as memento’s of Zulu land. The ‘Baboon Master’ was most probably a gifted migrant Tsonga wood carver working in the colony of Natal at the end of the 19th century and who developed a workshop carving staffs to meet a growing colonial commercial demand. Baboon Master Staff – Zulu / Tsonga – references The Art of Southern Africa (The Terence Pethica Collection) No. 57 (page 134/5) H – 113.5cm – 44 ¼ ins Provenance: Christies, Amsterdam, May 2000 The Mlungu in Africa art from the colonial period, 1840 – 1940 M. Stevenson and M. Graham-Stewart No. 11a (page 38/39) H – 120cm – (height of figure: 27cm) Art and Ambiguity – Perspectives on the Brenthurst Collection of Southern African Art Johannesburg Art Gallery, 1991 PL 34 (page 78) H – 105cm Provenance: Jonathan Lowen Ubuntu Arts et Cultures d’Afrique du Sud Exhibition Paris, 20 fevrier – 17 juin 2002 No. 20 (page 166) Provenance: Jonathan Lowen Brenthurst Collection (See Art and Ambiguity) Zulu Treasure Amgugu kaZulu The Local History Museums, Durban, South Africa, 1996 W92 – KCM, C3210 (page 91) H – 21cm Provenance: Ken Karner (1993) Known examples by the Baboon Master: two in Johannesburg Art Gallery (see above) one in the Museum fur Volkerkunde in Berlin one in the Local History Museum, Durban (Zulu Treasures) (see above) Provenance: Ex Private Belgium collection

Dimensions:
Height: 41 in (104.14 cm)Width: 8 in (20.32 cm)Depth: 2 in (5.08 cm)
Materials and Techniques:
Wood,Hand-Carved
Place of Origin:
South Africa
Period:
Late 19th Century
Date of Manufacture:
Late 19th Century
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
London, GB
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU9363239381632

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