In 1925, in the grasslands of western Cameroon and more specifically in the village of Batoufam belonging to the Bamileke ethnic group, the missionary pastor Christol discovers a collection unique of its kind.
All the kings of the current dynasty and their first queen are represented by a statue around 1 m tall. Their names and chronology were piously preserved and Christol makes them aligned for a photograph. This staging will stay untouched for more than three decades until the group is exported and dispersed.
These statues designed for the celebration of the royal couple were executed early in the reigns and thus represent an extremely rare case of African royal figures carved in the early lifetime of the models and which may be considered as portraits.
The statue of the eighth king, carved in the 1880s, makes a progress in its figuration, with much dignity and some effort for realism. It was sold for € 735K including premium by Sotheby's on 24 June 2015.
The couple constituted by the ninth king named Pokam, who died in 1919, and his queen consort Yugang has not been separated. These portraits may have been carved by the same artist as for the eighth king but the proportions in bodies and faces are more carefully achieved and the expression is superb. The woman is carrying a newborn child on her arm.
The statues of Pokam and Yugang remain together at lot 14, estimated € 1.3M by Sotheby's in Paris on December 2.
SOLD for € 1.44M including premium
All the kings of the current dynasty and their first queen are represented by a statue around 1 m tall. Their names and chronology were piously preserved and Christol makes them aligned for a photograph. This staging will stay untouched for more than three decades until the group is exported and dispersed.
These statues designed for the celebration of the royal couple were executed early in the reigns and thus represent an extremely rare case of African royal figures carved in the early lifetime of the models and which may be considered as portraits.
The statue of the eighth king, carved in the 1880s, makes a progress in its figuration, with much dignity and some effort for realism. It was sold for € 735K including premium by Sotheby's on 24 June 2015.
The couple constituted by the ninth king named Pokam, who died in 1919, and his queen consort Yugang has not been separated. These portraits may have been carved by the same artist as for the eighth king but the proportions in bodies and faces are more carefully achieved and the expression is superb. The woman is carrying a newborn child on her arm.
The statues of Pokam and Yugang remain together at lot 14, estimated € 1.3M by Sotheby's in Paris on December 2.
SOLD for € 1.44M including premium
La collection Delenne arrive chez @SothebysFr découvrez les pièces phares du 8 au 12 octobre http://t.co/QJHeVy4fpR pic.twitter.com/F5UKlCYmbv
— Sotheby's France (@SothebysFr) September 3, 2015
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