Unknown Artist (Zaire: Kongo), Staff with Figure, Snakes, and Reptile, wood. 35 3/4 x 1 1/4 x 1 3/4 inches. Dallas Museum of Art, The Clark and Frances Stillman Collection of Congo Sculpture, gift of Eugene and Margaret McDermott.

Here is represented a central African source for the rich tradition of staff carving as demonstrated in the work of a number of African-American carvers.