Lefem (commemorative figure)
Lefem (commemorative figure)
Lefem (commemorative figure)
Lefem (commemorative figure)
Lefem (commemorative figure)
Lefem (commemorative figure)
Lefem (commemorative figure)
Lefem (commemorative figure)
Lefem (commemorative figure)
Lefem (commemorative figure)
Lefem (commemorative figure)
Lefem (commemorative figure)

On view

African Art
Princeton Collects

Lefem (commemorative figure),

ca. early 20th century

Artist unrecorded
Bamileke
2023-76
The prestige cap and ivory armlets of this commemorative ancestor figure suggest it is a lefem representing the fon (leader) of a Bamileke chiefdom. It was housed within the fon’s palace alongside an assembly of memorial portraits of previous generations of chiefs, queen mothers, princesses, and other title holders that would be displayed publicly at funerary, coronation, and annual commemorative ceremonies. Its extremely weathered state makes it difficult to identify the specific fon portrayed.

Information

Title
Lefem (commemorative figure)
Dates

ca. early 20th century

Maker
Artist unrecorded
Medium
Wood
Dimensions
90.2 × 19 × 17.8 cm (35 1/2 × 7 1/2 × 7 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Noriko Ohta in memory of Austin Newton, Professor Emeritus, Molecular Biology
Object Number
2023-76
Place Made

Africa, Cameroon, Grassfields

Culture
African, Bamileke
Type
sculptures, woodwork

[Helène Leloup, Paris, France, before 1990]; purchased by Austin Newton (1937-2022), Princeton, NJ, 1990 [1]; estate of Austin Newton, 2023; donated to the Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton, NJ, 2023.

[1] Inventory of the Austin Newton Collection, Princeton, NJ, dated 1990.

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The Museum regularly researches its objects and their collecting histories, updating its records to reflect new information. We also strive to catalogue works of art using language that is consistent with how people, subjects, artists, and cultures describe themselves. As this effort is ongoing, the Museum’s records may be incomplete or contain terms that are no longer acceptable. We welcome your feedback, questions, and additional information that you feel may be useful to us. Email us at collectionsinfo@princeton.edu.

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