A RARE BAMILEKE CHIEF ORNATE BEADED STATUE. This wonderful s...

Estimate

£4,500 - £5,000

A RARE BAMILEKE CHIEF ORNATE BEADED STATUE.
This wonderful statue is of a Chief with his crown sat upon his royal leopard stool adorned with intricate beadwork. Originating from the lush Grassfields region of Cameroon it is unusual because there are very few statues depicting a fly whisk resembling a trophy head in the chief's hand.

Beaded statues such as this have bulging cheeks to show the Chief is well fed. Beneath the intricate beading the wood on this statue has some age. Approximately beads date it to the 1950's. Its rarity and association with powerful Chiefdoms means these statues are only found in the households of mfo or chiefs, and their closest allies. These artifacts have historically been reserved for society's highest-ranking men.

The history of beadwork in the Bamileke region and adjacent areas of western Cameroon is both intricate and extensive, with trade networks once connecting present-day Cameroon and Nigeria to the Arab world. European beads now adorn this Statue, meticulously arranged in several patterns symbolizing themes of fertility, wisdom, and divination deeply ingrained in Bamileke culture.

With its rich cultural heritage and exquisite craftsmanship, this statue stands as a testament to the enduring legacy of Cameroonian artistry and after being preserved within The Palmer-Hudson Collection it is now being offered for auction.
The Palmer-Hudson Collection was started in the 1930�s by Dr Palmer Ph.D. of Gloucester. Phillip Henry Douglas Palmer collected bizarre and wonderful artefacts all his life. He worked as an administrator for the National Health Service where he came into contact with many retired doctors and physicians. These encounters led him to amass a huge collection of eighteenth and nineteenth century anatomical models and curios from all over the world. Over the years he sold, swapped and dealt to collectors all over Europe, increasing an already huge private collection of 2047 artefacts, which was housed in his small office at home in Downderry, Cornwall. Dr Palmer met Mr Robert Hudson in the early 1990's through his daughter Alison, and together they combined their collections and set up the Bizarre and Weird Museum in Newquay, Cornwall, which was to eventually held some 4000 rare and unusual artefacts which were rotated for display. In 2006 the museum building was sold, but a small number of artefacts have remained in the collection (and occasionally added to) until today.

(h 89cm x w 42cm x d 50cm).