Pipe
Bamum; Bamileke; North West Province
Description
Subject Matter:
Throughout the Grassfields region of Cameroon, material culture acted as a signifier of a person’s place within the social hierarchy that many kingdoms in this area share. The king, in some kingdoms called the fon, had control over what motifs or symbols could be used on different objects, such as pipes, by certain classes of people.
Both men and women often smoked, although the everyday use of plain tobacco pipes declined after World War II when cigarettes became increasingly popular. Prestige pipes with human and animal images, however, were and still remain status symbols. Artisans from northwestern areas such as Bamessing, Babungo, and Babessi crafted highly decorated pipes from terra cotta, wood, metal, as well as ivory. Brass obtained through trade was used to make pipes exclusively for the king or fon through the lost-wax casting method.
Based on the pose of the figure, with its hands tucked underneath the chin, it may depict a retainer of a royal court. Perhaps the past owner of this pipe was a high status member of the community?
References Cited:
Gebauer, Paul. 1972. "Cameroon Tobacco Pipes." African Arts 5, no. 2: 28-35.
___________. 1979. Art of Cameroon. Portland, Or.: Portland Art Association.
Homberger, L. 2008. Cameroon: Art and Kings. Zürich: Museum Rietberg.
Northern, Tamara. 1984. The Art of Cameroon. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution.
Page, Donna. 2007. A Cameroon World: Art and Artifacts from the Caroline and Marshall Mount Collection. New York: QCC Art Gallery Press.
Physical Description:
A carved wooden pipe bowl attached to a long, narrow metal pipe stem. The pipe bowl is in the form of a standing human figure with both hands tucked underneath the chin.
Usage Rights:
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