A Superb Kongo Ivory Sceptre, Democratic Republic of the Congo

carved from a hippopotamus (hippopotamus amphibius) canine tooth, the curved horn with round tip supporting a seated female figure with an infant in front of her, both facing to the back, surmounted by a seated male figure, facing the front and biting a root; fine aged creamy veined ivory patina. 

Sotheby's, London, November 30, 1981, lot 276
Acquired by the present owner at the above auction

good condition overall; lower fifth broken and reattached; tip chipped, age cracks throughout, nose of female figure broken, minor chip on left ankle of male, right ear of male chipped; fine aged creamy veined ivory patina.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This image of a chief supported by a maternity figure was used as a sceptre for a chief, originally with a clay bundle on top containing magical substances. As MacGaffey (1993: 286) explains, a ritually invested Kongo chief was also a nkisi, a personalized force from the invisible land of the dead which has chosen, or been induced, to submit itself to human control through ritual performances. The ritual endowed the chief with extraordinary powers, expressed in magical substances which were buried in the earth of his domain. The upper figure of the offered ivory sceptre is a chief depicted here with symbols of authority - a beaded necklace, a band of carved imported cowrie shells around the head  and holding a horn in his left hand. The wear on the pointed lower section of the horn indicates signs of original use - driven into the earth to invoke the horn's powers.

See Musée du Louvre (2000: 197) for a related scepter collected before 1914 and formerly in the Kerchache Collection; Maes et Lavachery (1930: pl. 25) for a second exhibited in 1930 in the Palais des Beaux Arts, Brussels; and Leiris and Delange (1967: 155, fig. 169; also published in Schmalenbach 1988: 240, cat. 146) for a third in the Musée Barbier-Mueller, Geneva. The present lot and the Barbier-Mueller scepter share a variety of features (iconography, the treatment of facial details like the eyes, brows, and lips) and it is possible that both works were made by the same artist.