Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Source Description
Arguably the finest surviving carving of the Baboon Master in a Western collection, this staff features exceptionally sophisticated articulation and detailing. The circular pokerwork motif on one side—which echoes the treatment of the ears on the male heads supporting the baboon—may represent a shield or a leaf. The heads feature the characteristic ornament that signifies maturity and marriage; covered with a mixture of gum, charcoal, and oil, this hairdo, called <em>isicoco,</em> employed a fiber or sinew ring into which the wearer’s hair was woven.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
168425
label
Staff
core
obj
dtoType
sculpture
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
168425
contentType
sculpture
title
Staff
description
Arguably the finest surviving carving of the Baboon Master in a Western collection, this staff features exceptionally sophisticated articulation and detailing. The circular pokerwork motif on one side—which echoes the treatment of the ears on the male heads supporting the baboon—may represent a shield or a leaf. The heads feature the characteristic ornament that signifies maturity and marriage; covered with a mixture of gum, charcoal, and oil, this hairdo, called <em>isicoco,</em> employed a fiber or sinew ring into which the wearer’s hair was woven.
date
1800s–1900s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q80074285
creators
60267
genreSpecific
Sculpture
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 120.7 cm (47 1/2 in.)
cul
Africa, South Africa, South Africa or Mozambique, probably Tsonga peoples
accession
2010.204
Source extras
tec
Wood
tombstone
Staff, 1800s–1900s. The Baboon Master (probably Tsonga peoples). Wood; overall: 120.7 cm (47 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund, 2010.204
collection
African Art
didYouKnow
Artists working on the African continent often moved from place to place; the artist nicknamed The Baboon Master was of the Tsonga culture and worked in the Zulu kingdom.
citations
citation
Sotheby's. "African and Oceanic Art." New York, Nov. 11, 2005, lot 161 and frontispiece.
citation
Franklin, David and C. Griffith Mann. Treasures from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: The Cleveland Museum of Art; London: Scala Publishers Ltd, 2012. Pg 246-7.
citation
Petridis, Constantine. "African Master Carvers." <em>Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine </em>57, no. 2 (March/April 2017): 32-33.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: p. 32-33
creditline
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 08:39:55.433000
sourceId
168425
dept
African Art
coll
African Art
med
Wood
creatorTags
male
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
592dd1c12fb39bf2