Anthropomorphic pipe head
Cameroon Grassfields
sold
EUR 400
Provenance
Bernd Muhlack, Kiel, GermanyWalter Schmidt, Würzburg/Innsbruck, Germany/Austria
Size
H: 10 cm
H: 3.9 inch
Description
fired clay, brown coating, narrow elongated head with big eyes accentuated by concentric circles, slightly dam. (left ear), base;
tobacco pipes are widely used in the Grassfields. They are also prestige objects, clear indicators of the rank and title of the individual owner. The commoner has his terracotta pipe, which is plain or moderately decorated with geometric patterns with a short or plain stem. Fons and notables have larger, more elaborate terracotta and sometimes brass pipes.
Comparing literature
Schädler, Karl-Ferdinand, Erde und Erz, München 1997, p. 287, ill. 554Publications
AHDRC: 0141984