Palace pillar with female figures
Across the Grassfields, sovereigns’ chambers are designed for both privacy and safety. They have multiple thresholds so the fon (ruler) may circulate undetected. This pillar was carved to support the main portal to the fon’s quarters at Kedjom Keku (Big Babanki). Topped by a worn representation of what was likely a leopard, it is composed of four female figures, each grasping her rounded abdomen. The bottom figure kneels in a posture of supplication that may also suggest childbirth. Following a 1933 palace renovation, this work was relocated to the reception hall and displayed alongside architectural highlights from elsewhere in the compound.
Artwork Details
- Title: Palace pillar with female figures
- Artist: Grassfields artist
- Date: Late 19th–early 20th century
- Geography: Cameroon, Big Babanki
- Culture: Babanki
- Medium: Wood, pigment
- Dimensions: H. 97 × W. 6 × D. 7 1/4 in. (246.4 × 15.2 × 18.4 cm)
- Classification: Wood-Architectural
- Credit Line: Fletcher Fund, 1972
- Object Number: 1972.4.29a
- Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing
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Grassfields artist
Late 19th–early 20th century
Grassfields artist
19th century
Grassfields artist
19th–early 20th century
Grassfields artist
late 19th century
Grassfields artist
Late 19th–early 20th century
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