Bamileke - Pipe - Tone, Terracotta - (2)

Two Bamileke pipe heads from Cameroon - grassland; first half of the 20th century (1900 - 1940)

This collection consists of two authentic and historically significant pipe bowls of the Bamileke people from the Cameroonian grassland, with both pieces offering valuable fragments that provide insight into the craftsmanship of West African terracotta processing.

The first brown pipe bowl dates from around 1940 and features the typical funnel-shaped form of grassland objects, with a flat bottom and an ascending stem. The body is decorated on the front with an elaborate carved pattern of rows of circles with wart-like fillings, and the bowl opening has a characteristic thickened rim along with a drainage hole at the bottom. It should be explicitly noted that this piece shows clear signs of age and damage, as a part of the upper rim is broken off, and the object has been glued and restored due to an earlier break, though this does not diminish the fine geometric surface structure. Dimensions: approximately 15 x 7.5 x 5.5 cm.

The second object is a solid, deep black figurative pipe bowl from the first half of the 20th century, designed as a sculpture in the form of a relief face with a conical fitting. After firing, it was refined with a traditional glaze made from plant juice and soot to achieve the characteristic shine. This sculpture also shows noticeable flaws, particularly at the back of the hair ornament and a larger break at the lower stand, which reveal the natural material and the massively shaped structure of the clay inside. Dimensions: approximately 21 x 13.5 x 10 cm.

Despite the described cracks, these fragments are wonderful art objects that reflect the high social status of the original owner and the ceremonial smoking culture of the Bamileke elite; showing signs of use consistent with age.