IMPORTANT AFRICAN GRASSLANDS BAMILEKE MASK CAMEROON EX WHISNANT COL EXHIBITED

Description

A Rare and Important
Bamileke (or Kom) Mask
– Western Grasslands, Cameroon
Mid 20th Century
Wood, vegetal fibers, shell, hair, pigment
Height: 45cm (17.75in)
PROVENANCE:
Ex-Herzog Collection, Wein, Austria
Pete Whisnant Collection/Whisnant Galleries, New Orleans, Louisiana
EXHIBITED:
University of Central Missouri, McClure Archives Museum,
Masquerade: Selected Works from Western and Central Africa
, January-February, 2008, Cat No. 30-38
University
of Central Missouri, McClure Archives Museum,
Masquerade: Selected
Works from Western and Central Africa
, January-February, 2010, Cat No. 5.1.1
*Provenance documentation on file and can accompany the artifact for historical conservation purposes.
Description:
Atua Afungo helmet crest of zoomorphic form with three tusk-like projections, three narrow fiber attachments adorned with shells and hair, the almond-shaped eyes below protruding eyebrows, and crowned with three leopard representations; remnants of applied pigment
.
Provenance:
The subject mask is formerly of the Pete Whisnant Collection of New Orleans, Louisiana. Whisnant was known internationally for his antique appraisal expertise as well as his gallery located on Royal Street in New Orleans
. Curatorial Remarks:
Good condition, displaying surface wear commensurate with age and use. Missing one shell attachment with repair to tusks
.
The grassland region, in south-west Cameroon, is a hilly and mountainous area covered by an equatorial forest in the south and a savannah in the north. Politically, the area is divided into numerous small independent kingdoms and chiefdoms, whose powers are counterbalanced by male and female societies. Since its colonization by the Germans in 1884, this entire region, in particular the Bamileke, Bamun and Tikar territories, has attracted the attention of Western scholars because of its artistic heritage. The Bamileke area is occupied by approximately 700,000 people. They are ruled by kings, whose funerals are organized by the powerful Troh society (Bacquart, 2002). The intricate composition of this Bamileke “Atua Afungo” mask reflects the exceptional ability of West Cameroonian sculptors. Presentation masks are typically created to preserve the social and religious structure of the Bamileke kingdom. This zoomorphic mask portrays the destruction of the rainforest and communicates vivid  messages of preservation
.
Cf.
Graham, Timothy.
Juju Dance
, Cameroon (Archive Image No. 98449957), Mount Oku, Bamenda Highlands, Cameroon, Universal Images Group, Ltd., Coventry, United Kingdom, Saint Germain en Laye,
Arts Premiers
, Paris, March 23, 1997, Lot 12 , Koller,
Afrikanische Kunst
, June 23, 2007, Zurich, Lot 229 (EST 5,000-8,000 CHF) and Sotheby’s,
African and Oceanic Art Session I: Various Owners Session II: Andreas and Kathrin Lindner Collection
; Greub Collection, Sale PF7006, Paris, June 8, 2007 Lot 177 (
SOLD 11,400 EUR
) for comparable examples.
VIDEO: “Rhythm of Africa! Unique Traditional Dance in Cameroon.”
YouTube.
New China TV, 20 Aug 2017 for a modern example in performance.
*
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