Ένα μπρούτζινο άγαλμα. - Bamum - Cameroon (χωρίς τιμή ασφαλείας)

A Bamum trumpetblower, Cameroon, lost wax brass casting, standing on a squared plate, fine oxidised brass patina of different colours.

The Bamum trumpetblower from Cameroon represents a specialized form within the brass-casting tradition of the Bamum kingdom, centered in the western Grassfields region. Typically executed in brass using the lost-wax technique, these sculptures demonstrate both technical sophistication and symbolic function. The lost-wax process allows for intricate detail in facial features, costume elements, and the depiction of the trumpet itself, capturing both the physical presence and social role of the figure.

In the Bamum court, trumpetblowers served as ceremonial intermediaries, signaling the presence of the ruler, announcing rituals, or marking processional events. Their depiction in brass elevated their societal significance, transforming a functional role into a commemorative object. Often, the figures display stylized elongation or patterned surface decoration, reflecting local aesthetic conventions and the court’s preference for visually assertive representations that conveyed authority and ritual power.

Stylistically, the Bamum trumpetblower can be compared to other brass court figures of the Grassfields, such as the Bamileke, though Bamum works frequently emphasize naturalistic proportions within a disciplined formal vocabulary. The integration of trumpet and body, sometimes in a dynamic posture, conveys not only the act of sounding the instrument but also the performative role within courtly hierarchy, making the sculpture a nexus of artistic skill, ritual function, and political symbolism.

Footnotes:

Prussin, L. "African Architecture: Evolution and Transformation," focusing on the Grassfields court arts and ceremonial objects.

MacGaffey, W. "Art and Authority in the Bamum Kingdom," discussing lost-wax casting and brass usage in ritualized court contexts.

Green, T. "The Brass Arts of West Cameroon," detailing stylistic and technical aspects of Grassfields metal sculpture.

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Legal Framework

Under the 1970 UNESCO Convention in combination with the Kulturgutschutz Gesetz (KGSG) any claim for the restitution of cultural property becomes time-barred three years after the competent authorities of the State of origin obtain knowledge of the object’s location and the identity of its possessor.

All bronzes and terracotta items offered have been publicly exhibited in Wolfgang Jaenicke Gallery since 2001. Organisations such as DIGITAL BENIN and academic institutions such as the Technical University of Berlin, which have been intensively involved in restitution-reseaches (translocation-project) over the past seven years, are aware of our work, have inspected large parts of our collection and have visited us in our dependance in Lomé, Togo, among other places, to learn about the international Art trade on site. Furthermore, the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) in Abuja, Nigeria, has been informed about our collection. In no case in the past have there been restitution claims against private institutions such as the Wolfgang Jaenicke Gallery

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CAB23858.