Spider Drum
Made to showcase the skills of a carver from the western grasslands of Cameroon, this drum, elaborately carved from a single log, features motifs associated with royal spider stools which, in the late 20th century, were adapted for commercial distribution. Relief figures encircling the drum are undercut and represent the spider, symbol of wisdom and link between this world and that of ancestors. They also suggest communal support of the Fon (chief). However, this drum was not used for official functions but was displayed with other paraphernalia in the palace.
Artwork Details
- Title: Spider Drum
- Date: ca. 1940
- Geography: Cameroon
- Culture: possibly Babungo/Vengo people
- Medium: Cordia Platythyrsa or Iroko wood, hide
- Dimensions: Overall: 38 × 24 5/8 in. (96.5 × 62.5 cm);
Weight: 65 lbs approx
Drum: Height: 26 3/16; Diam (Of head): 18 1/2; Base: 15 9/16 in. (H. 66.5 x Diam. 47 x Base 9.5 cm) - Classification: Membranophone-single-headed / cylindrical drum
- Credit Line: Purchase, Amati Gifts, 2016
- Object Number: 2016.467
- Curatorial Department: Musical Instruments
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Cameroonian
20th century
Mamadou Kouyaté (d. 1991) (bridge by Djimo Kouyaté)
ca. 1960
Akan, Ashanti
ca. 1940
Yoruba people
early 20th century
Fang people
early 20th century
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