Important Nguni Staff

97. Dated 1912 and inscribed ‘3/C JA NEMOKE DE THABANCHU’ Thaba Nchu is also known as Blesberg, which is a town in South Africa. The shaft is covered in very skilfully engraved scenes of  a military band, a lion attacking a native, a group of charging Zulus, Boers, artillery etc. The finial is carved as a soldiers head in horn. There is a pyrographic depiction of a Zulu shield. The combination of pyrography and fine engraving may indicate that the artist was a bushman as they are well known to have incorporated both techniques when decorating staffs and sticks.

88cm tall.