The Ovimbundu are a Bantu-speaking ethnic group living in southern Angola, which comprises over twenty indigenous chiefdoms. The Ovimbundu were the main
coastal link to the Portuguese-sponsored trade routes with Central Africa. The merchants and chiefs became wealthy through this trade and would often
commission objects of art to illustrate their political and financial status. The authority of an Ovimbundu chief was not hereditary - a council elected a
sovereign, but he was chosen only from among the members of the royal clan. Ceremonial sceptres such as the example here were prestigious items owned by Ovimbundu chiefs. Their forms represent the positive qualities the chiefdoms would wish to cultivate within. Typically such sceptres were presented to the sons of chiefs during their transition to adulthood.
The art of this culture is not well known by the general public and the number of Ovimbundu objects is relatively small.
Customised stand is included
Provenance:
- Galerie l'Atelier, Charles Montano, Toulouse, France
- Galerie Walu, Zurich, Switzerland
- Private Collection, Basel, Switzerland
For a comparative objects and further information on the subject, see:
- Robbins, W. M. and Nooter, N. I., African Art in American Collections, Smithsonian Institution, 1989
- Hambly, W. D., Anthropometry of the Ovimbundu Angola, Field Museum, Anthropological Series, Vol. XXV, No. 2: 1938
David Malík PhD
Founder/Director
