The Lega used ivory sculptures as emblems to indicate that they had reached the highest grades of the initiation societies to which they belonged throughout their lives. Most figures and heads are made of a solid piece of ivory. This large and fine old example is of an unusual form, with the core of the tusk having been carved away. It is reputed to have entered the Stocklet collection in the early part of this century. Such a provenance combined with its beautifully worn surface suggests a date well into the early nineteenth century.