Trumpet · Cameroon, Bali · ID: 3037189
not available anymore
Provenance
collected in situ (early 1970’s)Size
L: 90,5 cm
L: 35.6 inch
Description
ivory, shiny honey brown patina, pokerwork, oval mouthpiece, the lower part orignally wrapped in fabric, min. dam., cracks through age, slight traces of abrasion, base;
ivory trumpets belonged to the regal inventory ever since, just as the king had the constitutional right on possession of the teeth of hunted elephants. The trumpets were used to announce the arrival of the king and during audience they were placed to the ground in front of the chief’s feet. They were kept in the royal shrine, together with ancestor skulls and figures.
Comparing literature
Knöpfli, Hans, Grasland, Eine afrikanische Kultur, Wuppertal 2008, p. 153 & 256