A chieftain's staff with carved decoration featuring a head with a scarified face. This scepter is not a cane, but an object of power and prestige, a chieftain's staff, whose beautifully carved head, adorned with a double-shell braided headdress, bears the characteristic scarification marks that identify it precisely among the Tsangui. It is carved from ebony wood, as is the tradition for chief's staffs among the Tsogho and Fang peoples of Gabon. Tsangui, Gabon or Congo Wood (ebony), cartridge case, very fine patina. H. 74.5 cm Provenance : Jean Roudillon Collection