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96 - Babanki culture, Bamileke Kingdom, Cameroon Statue of a man …
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Estimate €1,000 - €1,500
Sale commission
Description
Babanki culture, Bamileke Kingdom, Cameroon Statue of a man riding a leopard Carved from hardwood with a beautiful, glossy honey-brown patina, depicting a man wearing a cap riding a leopard. The leopard is an important royal symbol as it embodies the qualities of a good king, namely power, cunning, speed, survival and aggression. H. 37 cm Provenance: > Former collection of the Symbolist poet Gustave Kahn (1859–1936) > Private collection, Paris Bibliography: > Pole depicting similar figures at the Geneva Museum of Ethnography, MEG Inv. ETHAF 020492, carved by Fontshue Aseh > Fowler Museum, UCLA, Los Angeles, USA, Inv. No. X67.599, similar specimen, bearing a cup on its head > Identical figure, published in: Jones, E. Dinner with the Kings. Ceremony and Hospitality in the Cameroonian Grassfields, Tribal Art, Vol 84, 2018, p: 74 Sotheby’s Paris 05/12/2013, Lot: 188, similar model This type of sculpture is typical of the work of a king-sculptor (Fontshue Aseh) who reigned over Babanki Tungo from 1908 to 1918. This type of statue served as an altar figure or guardian of the royal enclosure.
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About the sale Archaeology • Ancient & Modern Art • African & Asian Art • Decorative Arts
Auction location
Auction time 06/27/2026 at 10:30 AM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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