A Holo-Holo Staff, Democratic Republic of the Congo

the wooden shaft with a crouching hermaphrodite figure with prominent phallus and holding his breasts, surmounted by a tapering panel with geometric design in relief, with strands of red and white beads around neck and waist; '42503' in black and again in white pigment on edge of panel, '42503 Belg. Kongo, Dr. Brunn' in white pigment on reverse, '42503 Brunn' carved and 'F0945' in white pigment on reverse of paddle; aged dark brown patina.

Presumably Dr. Brünn, Germany, before 1906
Hans Röthlingshöfer, Basel
Pierre Dartevelle, Brussels
Marc Leo Felix, Brussels
Fred Jahn, Munich

Iowa City, The University of Iowa Museum of Art, Kilengi: African Art from the Bareiss Family Collection, March 27 - May 23, 1999 (for additional venues see bibliography, Roy 1997)

Christopher D. Roy, Kilengi: African Art from the Bareiss Family Collection, Seattle, 1997, pp. 163 and 358-359, fig. 92
--, Kilengi. Afrikanische Kunst aus der Sammlung Bareiss, Hanover, 1997, pp. 167 and 362, fig. 92

substantially excellent condition overall with minor chip on right knee of figure and abrasions on right side of tapering panel; the surface however is in fair condition only as the object has been cleaned from its original oily patina.
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Roy (1997: 358-359, fig. 92) notes: "This is but one of many examples of the spread of important types of leadership arts from the Luba to their allies near and far as treaties were established between them. The similarities of type and style are the result of the domination of the Holoholo by the Luba, who penetrated to the western shore of Lake Taganyika in the reign of Ilungu Sungu (ca. 1780-1810). [...] This staff should be compared to other exapmles by the Holoholo in the Staatliches Museum für Völkerkunde, Munich (Kecskési 1982: nos. 417, 418, 419), all collected by Arneth in 1909, and a standing figure in Berlin-Dahlem (Krieger, vol. 1, 1965: fig. 244) collected in 1907 by Schloifer. These share with the Baresiss staff the very broad, thin-lipped, slightly protuberant mouth and narrow coffee-bean eyes that are characteristic of the Holoholo rather than the Luba. The gesture of the female figure refers to her role as guardian of the royal prohibitions (bizila) or rules, which the king must obey."