Pipe bowl: head
Pipe bowl: head
Pipe bowl: head
Pipe bowl: head
Pipe bowl: head
Pipe bowl: head
Pipe bowl: head
Pipe bowl: head

Currently not on view

Pipe bowl: head,

20th century

Artist unrecorded
Cameroon Grassfields
1998-688

Cameroonian men and women smoked after meals and at ritual events, but only the elite used such elaborately decorated pipes. The bulging eyes, puffed cheeks, and open mouth on these head-shaped pipes are sculptural conventions; they also recall expressions made by smokers while inhaling or exhaling. The figures’ knobbed caps, a type originally worn by Bamum kings and titleholders, convey prestige. Cameroonian artists shaped such pipes from locally sourced clay, which was then fired and glazed with soot and vegetable sap.

Information

Title
Pipe bowl: head
Dates

20th century

Maker
Artist unrecorded
Medium
Terracotta
Dimensions
15.5 cm x 10.4 cm x 13.6 cm (6 1/8 x 4 1/8 x 5 3/8 in.)
Credit Line
Bequest of John B. Elliott, Class of 1951
Object Number
1998-688
Place Made

Africa, Cameroon, Grassfields

Culture
African, Cameroon grasslands
Type
pipes (smoking equipment), ceramics
Materials
ceramic, terracotta
Techniques
firing (technique)
Subject
prestige, caps (headgear), heads

John B. Elliott, New York, NY; Princeton University Art Museum, 1998

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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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