A kneeling naked female surmounts the top. She holds her breasts tightly with both hands, a large navel protrudes, her mouth is open revealing carefully carved teeth, an elegant coiffure is formed of short horizontal lines in the front, with vertical lines flowing to a point down at the middle of the back. She sits on a tubular base composed of seven narrow vertical panels each with a zig-zag band and small triangles for decoration. The thick horsehair is attached at the base.
The finest Kongo sculptors have long been employed to make objects of prestige for wealthy individuals and members of the royal court. Flywhisks are among the most appealing; combining artistry, traditional imagery and expensive materials, such as ivory, for an effect intended to impress. Female figures are seen as symbols of fertility and of supplication when depicted kneeling. As an object of prestige this flywhisk is refined, graceful and intriguing.