African Arts Gallery

Bronze sculpture Bamoun (N° 14337)

The art of bronze in African art at the service of the King.
The king, a bearded figure, a symbol of wisdom, sits in his carrier chair, accompanied by his children. The whole thing is topped by an elegant removable parasol with crenellated edges. All the characters present the typical features of bamoun sculptures such as globular eyes and imposing nose.
Located in the border region of Nigeria, the northwestern province of Cameroon, Grassland is made up of several ethnic groups: Tikar, Anyang, Widekum, Chamba, Bamoun and Bamileke. Several centralized chiefdoms, or kingdoms, based on customary associations, secret societies, are organized around the Fon which would have broad supernatural powers including that of being able to transform into an animal such as the python, the elephant , the leopard, or the buffalo. A religious leader, he is also a judge and a warlord.

The leaders of the Cameroonian Grasslands, the fon , reputed to hold treasures of works of art, including bracelets, necklaces, statues, bells, valued the founders and sculptors in the service of the kingdom. These productions, without which the conductor lost his prestige, aimed to magnify the role of the fon. The technique used was the cast with lost wax, the decorations varying according to the status of the recipient to whom the king wished to award a reward. The Bamoun sometimes bought works from the Tikars, who were also gifted in metalwork. From 1920, the founders no longer used exclusively for the court.