Head crest "tu ngünga." Bamum, Cameroon.
Wood, reddish brown shiny patina with traces of black paint, the structure of the face consisting of arching brows, merging into a slender nose, completed by a protruding square mouth below, the remaining components increasing the expressive effect: conical protruding eyeballs and "balloon-like" inflated cheeks, accompanied by flap-like projections, crowned by a coiffure in two bulbous lobes with burled structure, slightly dam., minor missing parts (neck, chin, cheeks), on block-like base; possibly once belonging to the war society "nsorro", which performed masquerades on the occasion of funeral ceremonies. The head crest was completed by a female partner. Nowadays "nsorro" is danced for entertainment, on festive occasions in Fumban and in the Bamum palace. The crest can be attributed to the artist "Ndam nji Mare" from the village of Makoutam. There are several head crests coming from the Malantuen area showing such striking similar features, that all of them can be attributed to "nji mare". One of them came to the Musée de l' Homme in Paris in 1934. As a highlight of the museum it was even published on a postcard. A further crest once belonged to the painter Maurice de Vlaminck and was exhibited in 2008 in the Rietberg Museum in Zurich.
Height: 50 cm, 19/20th Century
Estimate: 20,000 - 40,000 €
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