Ovimbundu sculpture

Object type: club
Materials: wood, metals > copper (and alloys) > brass
Legend: This prestigious club comes from an otchihuti (a container for relics) of a soma in the Moko region of Balombo. The item was of esele origin. These items which were sometimes closer to a walking stick than a club, could be decorated with a head, a torso, with or without arms, or a person walking.
Place of collecting: Angola > Benguela
Culture: Ovimbundu
Field collector: Robert Verly (°1901 - †1963)
Acquisition related person: Royal Museums for Art and History - Brussels as exchange
Date of acquisition: 1979-03-02
Dimensions: 61,2 cm x 8,8 cm
Inventory number: EO.1979.1.144