Grassland, Cameroon

Ceremonial pipe. In the Grassland art objects were symbols of position in the hierarchy; their number, the materials from which they were made, and their iconography changed progressively as one descended or ascended the social ladder. In the king’s (fon’s) palace, next to the ancestral figures and the masks, one would also find prestigious objects and among them pipes. Pipes existed in endless variety. Both the size and the decoration of the pipe were regulated by a strict code, according to the owner’s rank and wealth: a simple geometric motif for an ordinary citizen, a human feature for high officials or members of the royal family, and the animal motif if the owner belonged to a secret society or had totemic links with the animal represented. This pipe is decorated with 10 antelope heads.

Material: wood, leather, brass

Size: H. 18½”, W. 1”, W. 1½”