Lot 90
  • 90

Magnifique tête perlée, région de Dschang, ouest du pays Bamiléké, Cameroun

Estimate
70,000 - 100,000 EUR
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Description

  • Magnifique tête perlée, région de Dschang, ouest du pays Bamiléké
  • haut. 24 cm
  • 9 1/2

Provenance

Collection Pierre Harter, Louveciennes
Acquis de ce dernier, collection privée

Literature

Mentionnée dans : 
Harter, Arts anciens du Cameroun, 1986 : 249

Condition

Very good condition overall. Wear consistent with age and use within the culture: vibrant colours to the exceptionally fine beaded decoration.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

Provenant des royaumes situés dans la région de Dschang (ouest du pays Bamiléké), et des Bangwa occidentaux, les anciennes têtes perlées, appelées atwontzen, sont extrêmement rares. En 1986, Pierre Harter en avait dénombré six - dont celle-ci, qui faisait alors partie de sa collection.

Si ces représentations de crânes ennemis sont invariablement constituées d'une âme en bois recouverte d'une étoffe garnie de perles granulaires, chacune en offre une interprétation singulière. Ici, l'expressionnisme des traits conjugué au raffinement de la conception, de même que les qualités picturales du décor perlé, imposent cette tête comme la plus belle du corpus.

Elle s'apparente très étroitement à la célèbre tête offerte en 1957 à Pierre Harter par le fon (roi) Feinboy N'Ketté, décédé octogénaire en 1978, qui aurait appartenu à son trisaïeul Kemtemelo (royaume de Fontsa Toula, région de Dschang ; cf. Harter, idem : XXV). Esthétiquement, notre tête s'en distingue néanmoins par le degré d'élaboration sans égal de la coiffure et du décor perlé, accentuant, par la densité et la variété des motifs (chevrons, rosaces, cercles concentriques), l'intensité du visage aux traits serrés.  

L'époque - fin XVIIIe /début XIXe siècle - déduite par la généalogie de la "tête Kemtemelo", est confirmée ici par la qualité des perles anciennes, associant perles tubulaires rouges de la coiffe (rares dans la région du Grassland), perles granulaires en verre opaque - rouges, blanches et noires - et très rares perles vert clair et jaune de chrome.  L'ancienneté de ces têtes perlées permet de soutenir l'hypothèse qu'elles auraient non pas suivi mais coexisté avec les véritables crânes perlés, observés par Harter à Foto et à Fontem, chez les Bangwa occidentaux (dont un orné du même motif de rosace radié que celui répété ici sur les tempes et les joues).

Ces figurations de crânes ennemis, ou ces crânes véritables, étaient portés par les souverains lors des cérémonies guerrières et de certaines danses tso ou nzen. D'après le souvenir de Feinboy N'Ketté (interrogé par Harter en 1957, idem), ils étaient suspendus au cou du souverain, "attachés par une lanière de cuir de buffle ou par un cordon de tissu de wukari [comme ici], tout en les tenant entre leurs mains [...] balancés lentement de gauche à droite, entrechoquant les divers cauris de la chevelure".

La puissance - hautement symbolique - de ces œuvres était augmentée par les attributs, que parmi le corpus restreint, seule cette tête a conservé : "une sorte de loup perlé, l'ensemble ayant peut-être été maintenu devant le visage [ainsi qu'un] sac rectangulaire en peau de chat-tigre, contenant des plantes magiques" (Harter, idem).

Magnificent beaded head, Dschang Region, western Bamileke country, Cameroon 

Originating from the kingdoms located in the Dschang region (west of Bamileki country), and from amongst the western Bangwa, ancient beaded heads known as atwontzen, are extremely rare. In 1986, Pierre Harter counted only six – including this one, then part of his collection.

Although these representations consistently portray the skulls of enemies, and are all  formed out of a wooden core covered in fabric and decorated with rough beads, each example offers a unique interpretation. In this case, the expressionism of the features is combined both with the elegance of the design and the pictorial quality of the bead decoration, making this head the most beautiful in the corpus.

It is almost identical to the famous head offered to Pierre Harter in 1957 by the fon (king) Feinboy N'Ketté, who died in 1978 in his eighties, which had belonged to his great grandfather Kemtemelo (Kingdom of Fontsa Toula, Dschang region ; cf. Harter, ibid : XXV). Aesthetically, our head is distinguished by its degree of elaboration, both in the hairstlye and in the bead design, accentuated by the density and variety of motifs (chevrons, rosettes, concentric circles), the intesity of the face formed out of tight lines.

The era from which it originates, the late 18th / early 19th century, is deduced from the genealogy of the "Kemtemelo head", and confirmed here by the quality of the ancient beads, combining the tubular red beads of the hairstlye (rare in the glassland region), along with the - red white and black - granular beads in opaque glass, and some very rare beads in light green and chrome yellow. The age of these beaded heads supports the hypothesis that they would not have followed,  but coexisted with real beaded skulls, observed by Hartar in Foto and in Fontem, among the western Bangwa (including one decorated with the same pattern of radiating rosettes, which this example repeats at the temple and on cheekbones).

These depictions of enemies skulls, or the real skulls themselves, were worn by rulers on ceremonial occasions and during certain warrior dances such as the tso or nzen. According to Feinboy N'Ketté (interviewed by Harter in 1957, ibid), they hung from the neck of the sovereign, "attached by a thong of buffalo leather or by a cord of wukari fabric [as here], and while holding them in their hands [...]they would sway slowly from left to right, clinking together the various cowrie shells of the hair".

The highly symbolic power of these works was increased by other attributes, which within the small corpus, are only conserved with this head including : "a kind of beaded loop, all of which could have been held before the face [along with] a rectangular leather bag in tiger-cat skin, containing magical plants" (Harter, ibid).