Bamileke - Camerún

The treasure of the Kom kingdom was placed under the responsibility of the king or Fon and two secret societies, the Kwi'fo and the very powerful Menang brotherhood, whose members were recruited from among princes of royal blood. The most emblematic ritual object of the Menang is a mask with realistic features representing a woman of great beauty. The three-lobed ngon headdress of the Graham Collection surmounts a superb face sculpted in a realistic style that artists of the kingdom of Benin would not have disavowed. The carrying hood is ample, its volume rhymes with that of the herringbone hairstyle. His mouth, superbly drawn, is opened with a painful smile. The whole work is covered with a Great patina whose thickness gives information on its age.

Provenance:

Raquel Montagut Gallery, Barcelona
Argiles Collection, Barcelona