Ethiopian Prayer Staff with Finial

A stripe of silver studs runs up the shaft like a vein.

Ethiopian craftsmen made this early 20th-century prayer staff with finial of bamboo and iron. Staffs like this are commonly associated with Ethiopian clergy, who hold them during prayer and ceremony. The long shaft is deep red-brown with small bright dots along its length, and a darker section near the foot ends in a dark tip. The top is a small T-shaped head with a slender neck, finely worked in worn metal. The surface looks handled and a little dry.

About five feet tall. A thin line in a room, and a good one.