BAMILEKE STOOLS, Cameroon
The Bamileke stool above has been vetted as being authentic
with significant signs of use and age.
The Bamileke stool below has been vetted as being authentic
with signs of use and age.
The Bamileke stools below have been vetted as being authentic.
The Bamileke stools above have been vetted as being authentic.
BAMILEKE STYLE STOOLS, Cameroon
The Bamileke stool below was probably made to be sold.
Photographs © Hamill Gallery
BAMILEKE, STOOLS, Cameroon
Most Bamileke art (and the work of other kingdoms of the Cameroon Grasslands)
relates to kings and important chiefs, who defined their power by the display
of prestige objects during important ceremonies. Stools were among the most
important of these objects. The motifs include leopards, human figures and
heads, spiders, lizards and other subjects plus abstract designs. The abstracted spider pattern on stools 9, 79, 78, 16, 76, 74, and 72 is the most recognizable
of Bamileke stool motifs. The spider, being clever enough to built a beautiful
trap, is admired for her wisdom. Spending some time underground, she is
also thought to be a messenger between the living world and the world of
the ancestors. The
leopard; cunning, fast, mobile and guardedly aggressive, signifies the ability
to survive and is the most important royal icon, often even the king's alter
ego. Glass beads embellish the most important royal stools.
GO TO BAMILEKE
STOOLS ARCHIVES PAGE (ALL SOLD)
GO TO iCAMEROON EXHIBITION PAGE
GO TO BAMILEKE ART PAGE
GO TO FROM THE GRASSLANDS EXHIBITION PAGE
GO TO AFRICAN
STOOLS PAGE
