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168
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Commemorative figure of a king, Bangwa, Fontem valley, Grass…
See original version (French)
168
-
Commemorative figure of a king, Bangwa, Fontem valley, Grass…
See original version (French)
Estimate €800 - €1,000
Voluntary lot
Description
Commemorative figure of a king, Bangwa, Fontem valley, Grassland region, Cameroon, wood, H.56cmxW.15cm (plinth). The great statuary of the Bangwa kingdoms is one of the most emblematic forms of African art. Its prestige is based on a royal artistic tradition, on the vital principles - virility, physical and mental strength, fertility - that it expresses, and on the exceptional plastic solutions invented by Bangwa sculptors to express this ideal of power. The Western Bangwa are organised into nine small independent gung (kingdoms or chiefdoms), whose social life is structured around royalty and secret societies. These royal statues, considered to be works of prestige, belonged to the regalia and were also the symbol of the Lefem society, an association made up of aristocrats and the king's immediate family. Within two years of his enthronement, each fwa had his portrait made, and sometimes that of a princess, queen or his mother.
See original version (French)
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