Lot: 62

92nd Tribal Art Auction

Rattle staff "ukhurhe"

Nigeria, Benin

Provenance Size Starting price / estimated price
Alfred W. Angst, Aeugstertal-Zurich, Switzerland H: 29.1 inch This object is not available anymore.

wood, pigments, base

The shafts of most rattle staffs are bamboo-like segmented, which goes back to the "ukurhe-okho" plant, from which ultimately derives the name of these staffs.

The rattling sound of the staff and accompanying incantations are intended to attract the attention of ancestral spirits.


Ezra, Kate, Royal Art of Benin, New York 1992, p. 91 ff.