Ceremonial Staff (Kibango)
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Object Label
The owner of this staff, like the owners of all Luba staffs, was recognized as having supernatural powers. The Janus heads on this staff refer to Mpanga and Mbanze, twin spirits of Luba kingship whose two-way gaze suggests clairvoyance. The two pairs of horns refer to the medicine that gave the staff's owner similar supernatural powers.
Caption
Luba. Ceremonial Staff (Kibango), 19th century. Wood, iron, 61 1/4 x 4 3/4 x 1 1/2 in. (155.6 x 12.1 x 3.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 22.211. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 22.211_detail_bw.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Culture
Title
Ceremonial Staff (Kibango)
Date
19th century
Geography
Place made: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Medium
Wood, iron
Classification
Dimensions
61 1/4 x 4 3/4 x 1 1/2 in. (155.6 x 12.1 x 3.8 cm)
Credit Line
Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund
Accession Number
22.211
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
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