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Prestige Pipe / Artist Unknown, African, Cameroon Grassfields Cameroon
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 1985/1.150
- Title
- Prestige Pipe
- Artist Nationality
- Cameroonian
- Medium and Support
- wood, metal, possibly copper and bronze
- Object Creation Date
- 1925-1975
- Object Creation Place
- Africa (continent)
- Cameroon (nation)
- Creation Place 1
- Africa (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- Cameroon (nation)
- Dimensions
- 57.4 cm x 6.3 cm x 11.5 cm (22 5/8 in. x 2 1/2 in. x 4 1/2 in.)
- Century
- Mid-20th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Personal Accessory
- Primary Object Type
- pipe
- Physical Description
- Pipe made in three parts: wood-carved stem, inner metal pipe for drawing smoke, and metal, possibly bronze bowl. Wood-carved, openwork stem is comprised of interlocking lizards; spiral whorls cover the cast metal bowl. bands of cowrie shells encircle the bottom and “neck” of the bowl, while its lip is topped with the classic Grassfields motif of a prestige cap.
- Subject Matter
- Throughout the Grassfields region of western Cameroon, men and women smoked pipes at social gatherings, to rest while working in the fields, and in sessions of the royal court. The kind of pipe that one smoked--its design, iconography, and the materials from which it was made--reflected one’s status in society and an ability to appreciate beautiful things. Pipes drew from a rich repertoire of sculptural forms and symbols that characterized the visual arts of the region. “Prestige pipes” completed the attire of chiefs and noblemen, as their elaborate forms and iconographic motifs spoke of royalty and wealth.
- Secondary Keywords
- smoking and tobacco use
- associated concepts
- descriptors
- equipment
- equipment by context
- equipment for personal use
- inorganic material
- materials
- materials by composition
- materials by origin
- metal and metal products
- objects we use
- people and culture
- physical activities
- physical activities by general context
- plant material
- social science concepts
- social status
- sociological concepts
- tools and equipment
- wood and wood products
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Image Size
- 1471 x 991
- File Size
- 81 KB
- Record
- 1985/1.150
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1985-sl-1.150/1985_1.150.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
Portfolios
- In public portfolios
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1985-SL-1.150:1985_1.150.JPG
Cite this Item
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- Full citation
-
"Prestige Pipe; Artist Unknown, African, Cameroon Grassfields Cameroon." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1985-sl-1.150/1985_1.150.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 04, 2024.
