Kulango Ceremonial Circumcision Fetish

In many West African societies, circumcision marked a young man’s passage into adulthood, and the rites around it called for objects of strong symbolic power.

This is one. A large carved wood ceremonial object, Kulango, Ivory Coast, 20th century. It stands thirty-seven and a half inches tall, a broad arch rising from two squared feet, with a boldly carved phallus at its apex and a pendant form below. The upper shaft is dark and smooth. The arch wears a rough, weathered surface of grey, white and ochre residue, worn through to the wood in places.

A low black base echoes its width.

Not for the nursery. Everywhere else, fine.