This remarkable and rare copper alloy staff head was made by the Tiv of Benue, Nigeria. It depicts a schematically anthropomorphic shape, but sculpted with a truly astounding abstraction. The entire surface of the piece is rendered in low relief cordage pattern, suggesting that the original wax model used in the cire perdue process had been wrapped in hemp cordage which was then removed to leave a negative impression that has been filled by the metal. The upper parts of the arms are evidently made from winding a finer thread around the wax sculpture. The piece is essentially columnar (no legs are defined), swelling towards the middle and tapering again into the neck, with a large, round head. The arms are rendered as fan-shaped eminences that project perpendicularly to the long axis of the body. Fingers are depicted as rounded knobs; unusually there are six on each hand. The head is decorated with more of these eminences for eyes, another on the end of a rather flat nose, and a pair of corded lips. The coiffure is a triple array of conical spikes, and one on the back of the head; the face has other eminences (perhaps intended to portray tattooing) on the cheeks and forehead. There is a socketed eminence in the middle of the back.

The Tiv (also known as the Mitshi, Munchi, or Munshi) number about one million people and live as agriculturists throughout Nigeria and Cameroon. They believe themselves to be descended from an eponymous ancestor who had two sons named Chongo and Ipusu; modern Tiv define themselves on the basis of descent from one of these two sons. The Tiv live in segmentary lineages: the smallest units of social organisation – ipaven – live in close proximity, and are themselves divided into kin-based “tars”. Their governance is based upon gerontocracy, plutocracy and social influence – they have no chiefs or ruling bodies in the traditional sense, which led to administrative chaos when they were technically subjugated under British rule. Possibly as a result of this, their arts and culture were barely influenced by colonialism, and stands amongst the finest in Nigeria.

Their sculptural corpus includes figural axes, deliberately disproportioned bronze figures, and elongated wooden figures with nugatory limbs. An almost unvarying characteristic is oversized heads, which appear on most of their anthropomorphic pieces. Their works are most commonly confused with the Idoma, and other Benue River groups. Their metalworking traditions are something of a mystery, as little anthropological data exist. Secular items – such as heads, pipes, pendants and bells – are not uncommon, but the grandeur of this staff head is remarkable.

The weight and quality of the casting makes this a truly rare and desirable item. The wonderful patina and the manner in which the metal surface has been worn suggest that it was used over a long period of time as an important and prestigious object. This is a world-class piece of African art.