Pipe d’apparat anthropomorphe - Figurehead - Bamoun - Africa (No reserve price)

Large Bamoun/Bamum anthropomorphic ceremonial pipe – Cameroon – Terracotta and wood – 41 cm

Description

African art from Cameroon, probably originating from the Grassfields region, stylistically attributed to the Bamoun/Bamum area.

This large anthropomorphic piece represents a male figure with highly expressive features: strongly protruding eyes, full cheeks, wide nose, full lips, and an elaborate hairstyle.

The hearth is made of terracotta, with a dark, heavily patinated surface. It is connected to a long wooden element, giving the whole a particularly striking silhouette.

Anthropomorphic pipes and hearths in terracotta are well documented in the Grassfields of Cameroon. Bamum/Bamoun examples are notably conserved at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

Special note

The piece should be regarded as an object of display or prestige rather than a functional pipe.

The small hollow at the top of the hearth is blind and measures only about 3 mm in depth; it does not connect to an interior conduit. This feature indicates that it is most likely a sculptural representation of a pipe/prestige object, and not a pipe intended to be smoked.

Dimensions
Total length: 41 cm
Head height: 14.5 cm
Weight: 470 g
Condition

Ancient condition with traces of use and handling, some small chips/incidents visible on the terracotta, notably at the lower part of the figure.

Please examine the photographs carefully, which are an integral part of the description.

Attribution

Cameroon, Grassfields region
Probably Bamoun/Bamum
20th century
Terracotta and wood

Ethnic attribution is stylistic and given for guidance; no dated provenance is available.