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Model pipe bowl with seated figure

Early 20th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 344
Pipe-makers in Bamessing kept examples of their most popular designs for their apprentices to study. This early model, collected by renowned Tungo artist Tita Yuefainji, depicts a Grassfields ruler. His outsized head features the pronounced cheeks, eyes, and brow commonly found on helmet crests from the region. Diminutive hands grasp either side of his mouth in a variation of the classical hand-to-chin gesture. The stool upon which its subject is seated doubles as a base for the pipe.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Model pipe bowl with seated figure
  • Artist: Tikar artist
  • Date: Early 20th century
  • Geography: Cameroon, northwest region, Bamessing
  • Culture: Bamessing
  • Medium: Terracotta
  • Dimensions: H. 6 × W. 3 1/4 × D. 3 1/2 in. (15.2 × 8.3 × 8.9 cm)
  • Classification: Ceramics-Implements
  • Credit Line: Fletcher Fund, 1972
  • Object Number: 1972.4.51
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing

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