© Ismail Tita Mbohou
Currently not on view
Genealogy,
after 1952
Ismael Tita Mbohou, born 1952, Cameroon
2015-4
Distinctive headgear is on display in this dynastic illustration of fourteenth- through twentieth-century Bamum kings; clearly, headdresses indicate social rank. The artist has depicted Bamum’s rulers, starting with King Njoya (reigned ca. 1885–1933), wearing turbans. The use of turbans signals the conversion of King Njoya and the majority of Bamum people to Islam after the First World War. Bamum artists began experimenting with the medium of drawing in the early twentieth century, around the time the Bamum kingdom came under colonial rule. Their drawings (dessins Bamum) communicated local ideas, stories, and motifs to new audiences, Bamum and European alike.
More About This Object
Information
Title
Genealogy
Dates
after 1952
Maker
Medium
Ink and pencil
Dimensions
frame (approx.): 35.6 x 50.8 x 3.2 cm (14 x 20 x 1 1/4 in.)
Credit Line
Gift from the Holly and David Ross Collection
Object Number
2015-4
Place Made
Africa, Cameroon, Region de Ouest, Bamum Kingdom
Inscription
in ink, top right of each image, from left to right:
Row 1: Nchare Yen (1394-1418); Ngouopou (1418-1461); Monjou (1461-1498); Mengap (1498-1519); Ngouh I (1519-1544); Fifen (1544-1568) |
Row 2: Ngouh II (1568-1580); Ngapna (1590-1629); Ngouloure (1629-1672); Kouotou (1672-1757); Mbouombouo (1757-1814); Gbetnkom (1814-1817) |
Row 3: Mbiékouo (1817-1818), Ngouhouo (1818-1863); Ngoungoure (Nchiabyon) (30 minutes); Nsangou (1863-1889); Njoya Ibriehim (1889-1933); El Hadj Seidou Njimolul Njoya (1833 à nos jours)
Type
Materials
Subject
Bryce Holcombe (d. 1983), New York, NY; Mark Rabun, New York, NY by 1983; [Pace Primitive, New York, NY by 2002]; Holly and David Ross, Princeton, NJ, 2002-2015; Princeton University Art Museum, 2015
