Rare, old Commemorative Figure of a King "fon", late 19th century
Heinrich Vorwahl, Hamburg / Quakenbrück, Germany (born in 1898, year of death unknown, teacher and editor in religious studies, philosophy and philology as well as in history of medicine (focused on folk medicine)
Vorwahl Family Collection, Germany
Description
wood, black patina, burled coiffure, neck ornament and tobacco pipe prove the depicted to be of noble origin, especially striking is the prominent posture with the shoulders extremely projecting to the front, while the belly is strongly retracted, which results in such a dynamic, which is extraordinary for a seated figure, facial features are marked by local expressionism: typical rimmed eyes, oval mouth with accentuated teeth, slightly dam., rep. (breakages: forearm and thigh right hand side, base of the stool), missing parts (stool/ring-shaped base), probably repainted;
up to nowadays only two more works of the artist or his workshop from the Fontem Valley region in the Southeastern Cameroon are known: one work comes from the collection of Roland Tual, Paris, who gathered objects of Tribal and Precolumbian Art already in the 1920’s. It was auctioned in 1930 at Dubreuil-Portier in Paris (compare GVR 0010912). The second object was auctioned in 2007 at Cornette de Saint Cyr in Paris (compare GVR 0074570).
As far as expressive facial expression and style are concerned present commemorative figure is closest to the one published by Heinrich Schweizer, which was auctioned at Christie’s Amsterdam 1998 (compare GVR 0009363).
The provenance history of present commemorative figure goes back to mining times in colonial Cameroon. Later on it became part of the collection of Heinrich Vorwahl (1898-?) in Hamburg/Quakenbrück and remained family-owned until today.
Such figurative scuptures from the realm of the Bangwa are among the most impressive works from Africa. Not astonishing that they served as inspiration for modern artists and that precisely a Cameroon figure, the so-called “Bangwa queen”, achieved iconic status through a photo of the artist Man Ray (Northern, 1986, p. 25). Even today the “Bangwa Queen” is one of the most highly priced works in African Art.
Figures like this one are called “lefem” and portray kings, queens, and important members of the community. They share their name with the “lefem society”, an association of men of royal descent who pay high fees for the privilege of membership. Portrait figures “lefem” were made by local sculptors in case a new chief took over the regency. During other important annual ceremonies and on memorial and funeral celebrations for members of the royal family, these portrait figures were used as insignia. When not in use the figures were kept in a safe place; in earlier times a court servant is said to have specially taken care of them. They not only memorialize important persons but also safeguard continuity and communication with the deceased, thus embodying the realm of the ancestors. The portraits were created during a person’s lifetime, and in the case of a king, soon after his installation. Although carved by different artists and workshops, their stylistic characteristics and iconography have remained constant.