African Arts Gallery

The African art of the Bamoun, and the regalia associated with sovereignty. This ancient necklace of Bamoun dignitary, or Bamoum, is trimmed with 12 buffalo heads arranged on a metal strap with a clasp. This iconography symbolizes the values of combativeness and tenacity. When they sit, the members of Sultan Bamoun's court council wear this distinctive adornment of their function, the mbangba ,"mgba-mgba", which they say helps to strengthen their prestige and remove any evil power. Among the Bamoun, it is the fon, the head of the Kingdom or the chiefdom, who will offer this necklace to deserving men.
Total height on a base: 54 cm.

The Bamoun live in an area full of woodlands as well as savannahs. This large territory called Grassland in southwestern Cameroon is also home ...

The African art of the Bamoun, and the regalia associated with sovereignty.
This old necklace of Bamoun dignitary, or Bamoum, is trimmed with 12 buffalo heads arranged on a metal strap with a clasp. This iconography symbolizes the values of combativeness and tenacity. When they sit, the members of sultan Bamoun's court council wear this distinctive adornment of their function, the mbangba ,"mgba-mgba", which they say helps to strengthen their prestige and drive away any power Evil. Among the Bamoun, it is the fon, the head of the Kingdom or the chiefdom, who will offer this necklace to deserving men.
Total height on a base: 55 cm.

The Bamoun live in an area full of woodlands as well as savannahs. This large territory called Grassland in southwestern Cameroon is ...

This rider Bamoun mastering a pitched horse would represent King N'Doya in his victory over the Fulani in the 19th century. Armed with a sword carried in a sheath slung over his shoulder, he also has a sword. A dark brown leather dresses the shapes of the character and his mount, a lighter leather sheaths the hooves. The king is dressed in a canvas loincloth, the Hausa having introduced the clothing transformations in the Bamoun, he wears leather stirrups connected by a rigid wicker rod. The various decorative elements and materials form an exceptional work here. The Bamuns live in an area that is both full of wooded reliefs but also savannahs. This large territory called Grassland in southwestern Cameroon is also home to other close ethnic groups such as the Bamiléké and Tikar. ...

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 ...

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.
Great eyes, puffy cheeks of the blower, broad, stunned nose and mouth with protruding lips revealing a beautiful dental alignment, protruding ears, this mask is covered with hundreds of multicolored beads that follow the underlying shapes covered with rabane. The royal ...

Ex-French tribal art collection.
In African art, the use of pearls is linked to the prestige of the court. The Bamoun live in an area that is both full of wooded reliefs but also savannahs. This large territory called Grassland in southwestern Cameroon is also home to other close ethnic groups such as the Bamiléké and the Tikar . Stylistically, one feels the influence of this interethnic promixmity by common traits on the pieces of art, such as the tendency to represent globular-eyed joumins in the Tikar, or the application of beads on art sculptures. African bamileke.
Bamoun craftsmen have produced countless works, each one more impressive than the other. The masks, the beaded objects, the drawings of Njoya, the architecture of the palaces, reflect the quality and diversity ...

Former private French collection of African art Guy Brunel.
Mr. Brunel, a chemist by training, travelled the world before becoming passionate about Africa, which he discovered through his eldest daughter. Zaire, Kenya, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Guinea,... By the time of his death, he had accumulated nearly 600 pieces. Its legatees have decided to put this collection up for sale through our gallery.
Female effigy with sketchy features, her body is dotted with cauris, while round, tubular beads enhance the appearance of the face and emphasize the sexual organs. Stripped of the neck, the chin sinks into the ribcage and the arms welded to the bust and whose hands are absent disappear at the height of the abdomen. Wide-eyed with red, a nose barely put on, and white beads suggesting ...