Zemanek-Münster

Royal memorial figure "lefem" ·  Cameroon, Bangwa · ID: 3034107

not available anymore
Provenance
Diedrich Westermann, Hamburg, Germany
Size
H: 35 cm
H: 13.8 inch

Description

wood, brown encrusted patina, sacrificial traces, voluminous body, the right hand holding an item (knife, horn?), coiffure made of fur, min. dam., slight traces of abrasion, socle;
the figure probably depicts one of the numerous wives of a Bangwa king or his mother “mafo”. Occasions on which the statues are displayed include personal ancestor worship of the king, liturgies for the protection of the territory and fertility of the soil, and royal funerals. The figure probably derives from the eastern Bangwa.


The object Royal memorial figure “lefem” with the object ID 3034107 was last part of the auction 72nd tribal art auction at March 9, 2013 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 393.

You can find more Figures and other popular object types on our related topic pages. You may also be interested in our page on African art.


Comparing literature

Roy, Christopher D., Kilengi, Afrikanische Kunst aus der Sammlung Bareiss, München 1997, p. 299 f. , no. 193


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