West Africa, Cameroon, Grasslands, Bamum or Bamileke, ca. early to mid-20th century CE. A massive figural pottery smoking pipe head comprised of conical socket for a wooden stem and mouthpiece and the other half of the pipe is the receptacle bowl with a relief face- that is also smoking a pipe. Pipe bowls were molded from clay, fired, then glazed deep black using vegetable sap and soot. Smoking tobacco was customary in Cameroon, both men and women carried pipes and tobacco to use throughout the day and rulers would smoke ornate pipes such as these to stay awake during tedious court sessions and affairs! Some were prestige items that were not smoked- this may have been such a pipe due to the size and relatively clean interior. Size: 4.5" W x 9" H (11.4 cm x 22.9 cm); 11.25" H (28.6 cm) on included custom stand.

Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-private American collection

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#179312

Chips and abrasions to rims and high pointed areas. Black pigment added to some chips and abrasions.