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Catalog Data

Maker:
Undetermined artist  Search this
Bvu Kwam, active early 19th century  Search this
Medium:
Wood, ivory, pigment, human hair, bone, cloth
Dimensions:
H x W x D: 111.8 x 39.7 x 44.8 cm (44 x 15 5/8 x 17 5/8 in.)
Type:
Figure
Geography:
Grassfields region, Isu kingdom, Cameroon
Date:
Early 19th century
Label Text:
This masterpiece of Grassfields carving has an unusually emotional expression, which may be associated with the personal style of Bvu Kwam, an early-19th-century master sculptor. According to one field informant, the figure is of King Bay Akiy, the fourth ruler of the Isu kingdom, who reigned in the late 18th century. Depicted returning from victory over the Nshe, a neighboring group, he is seated on a dangerous animal, probably a leopard, and holds a weapon and his enemy's head. This pose relates to a regional tradition of representing personal achievement.
Description:
Wood seated male figure holding a knife in his proper right hand and holding a trophy head in his proper left. The figure has a hollow bone strung on a cloth strip around his neck. The wood is weathered and streaked with traces of red pigment. The carved ivory (?) teeth are prominent. Traces of human hair as a beard and on the back of the head.
Provenance:
Possibly Elias Kum, Isu, Cameroon, before 1968
Paul and Ruth Tishman, New York, by 1968 to 1984
Walt Disney World Co., a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company, Orlando, Fla., 1984 t0 2005
Exhibition History:
Heroes: Principles of African Greatness, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., November 16, 2019–October 3, 2021
African Vision: The Walt Disney-Tishman African Art Collection, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., February 15, 2007-March 31, 2009
Pavilion des Sessions at the Palais du Louvre, Musée du quai Branly, Paris, June 25-September 26, 2006
Icons: Ideals and Power in the Art of Africa, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., October 25, 1989-September 3, 1990
For Spirits and Kings: African Art from the Paul and Ruth Tishman Collection, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1981
Sculpture of Black Africa: The Paul Tishman Collection, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, October 16, 1968-January 5, 1969; The High Museum of Art, Atlanta; Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, August 31-November 1, 1970; University of Texas College of Fine Arts, Austin; City Art Museum, St. Louis, August 20-October 17, 1971; Des Moines Art Center; Huntington Galleries, Huntington, WV
Published References:
Arthur, Alex. 2009. "Philippe Guimiot: Expert par excellence." Tribal Art XIII:3 (52), p. 103, no. 6.
Cole, Herbert M. 1989. Icons: Ideals and Power in the Art of Africa. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, p. 98, no. 110.
Kreamer, Christine Mullen, Bryna Freyer and Andrea Nicolls. 2007. African Vision: The Walt Disney-Tishman African Art Collection. Washington, D.C.: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, pp. 9, 28-29.
Phillips, Tom (ed). 1995. Africa: The Art of a Continent, ed. by Tom Phillips. Munich: Prestel; London: Royal Academy of London, p. 352, no. 5.9.
Rossi, Milene C. Les Phemba: une mére un enfant des influences. Saint-Maur-des-Fossés: E´ditions Se´pia.
Sieber, Roy and Arnold Rubin. 1968. Sculpture of Black Africa: The Paul Tishman Collection. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, pp. 9, 92, no. 98.
Visoná, Monica Blackmun, Robin Poyner, Herbert M. Cole and Michael D. Harris. 2001. A History of Art in Africa. New York: Harry N. Abrams, p. 347, no. 10-23.
Visoná, Monica Blackmun, Robin Poyner and Herbert M. Cole. 2008. A History of Art in Africa. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, p. 331, no. 10-18.
Vogel, Susan (ed). 1981. For Spirits and Kings: African Art from the Paul and Ruth Tishman Collection. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, pp. 192-195, no. 115.
Content Statement:
As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
Image Requests:
High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
Topic:
leopard  Search this
weapon  Search this
male  Search this
Credit Line:
Gift of Walt Disney World Co., a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company
Object number:
2005-6-31
Restrictions & Rights:
CC0
See more items in:
National Museum of African Art Collection
Data Source:
National Museum of African Art
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys722377ccc-ea0d-414b-a149-fb3c1e310bea
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmafa_2005-6-31