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THBRare Cameroon Elephant Effigy w/ Cowrie Shells & Beads
Lot 149
About Seller
Artemis Fine Arts
686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States
Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more
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Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Estimate:
$600 - $900
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Bid Increments
| Price | Bid Increment |
|---|---|
| $0 | $25 |
| $300 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $2,500 |
| $50,000 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 | $20,000 |
About Auction
Live
By Artemis Fine Arts
Aug 22, 2025
Set Reminder
2025-08-22 10:00:00
2025-08-22 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Indigenous Art - Ralph T. Coe Center, Santa Fe, NM
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/indigenous-art---ralph-t-coe-center-santa-fe-nm-20324
Featuring works of art from the Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a non-profit focused on promoting Indigenous Arts globally. All proceeds from the sale of these items will support future grants to Rehoming Program participants. Artemis Fine Arts info@artemisfinearts.com
Featuring works of art from the Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a non-profit focused on promoting Indigenous Arts globally. All proceeds from the sale of these items will support future grants to Rehoming Program participants. Artemis Fine Arts info@artemisfinearts.com
View Full Catalog (452)
- Lot Description
Central Africa, Cameroon, Bamileke / Bafou culture, ca. 19th to early 20th century CE. A rare and striking wooden elephant figure, meticulously adorned with hundreds of cowrie shells and multicolored glass beads. The sculpture is carved from a solid wood base and overlaid with woven fiber material, to which the decorative elements are sewn. Although the precise origin, function, and cultural context of this piece remain undocumented, its stylistic characteristics strongly align with artistic traditions of Cameroon, particularly those associated with the Bafou people. A similar cowrie-covered elephant figure was loaned and exhibited at the Musee du quai Branly-Jacques Chirac in Paris as part of the exhibition "On the Route of Cameroon's Chiefdoms," where it was described as originating from a community heritage house of a Bafou chiefdom. Size: 22" L x 6" W x 21" H (55.9 cm x 15.2 cm x 53.3 cm)
A Bafou heritage hut (or heritage house) is a traditional dwelling or ceremonial structure associated with the Bafou, a subgroup of the Bamileke ethnic group of the western highlands of Cameroon. These architecturally distinctive structures serve as powerful symbols of lineage, authority, and ancestral reverence, often functioning as sacred repositories for ritual objects used in ancestral worship, initiation ceremonies, and council gatherings. In this cultural context, the elephant is a potent emblem of royalty, wisdom, and spiritual authority. Effigies and masks in the likeness of elephants are traditionally used in royal rituals and masquerades, reinforcing the animal's association with power and sacred leadership.
Provenance: private Los Angeles, California, USA collection
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
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#193673Losses to fabric layer holding the shells in place on the trunk with loose shells dangling from threads as shown. Missing some shells in a few other areas of the body. Dark mineral deposits throughout.Condition
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