A carved wooden figure wearing a conical hat, with an elongated neck, torso, and arms, sitting on a stool and holding a drinking vessel and a horn.

Portrait Figure of Metang, the 10th King of Batufam

Museum collection

Museum work by Bamileke

Art Institute of Chicago

Thread 60629

Love & Harmony

Where the original lives

Art Institute of Chicago

The original is held by the Art Institute of Chicago and is not for sale. This piece is shown for reference — no edition of it is offered.

See the work in the Art Institute of Chicago collection

Curator’s note

Bamileke (c. 1912-1914) from Cameroon. Held in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago and released into the public domain, offered here as a museum-quality edition within the love thread.

Details

Artist: Carved by Mbeudjang (Eastern Bangwa, active early 20th century)
Date: c. 1912-1914
Medium: Wood and pigment with traces of chalk and camwood
Dimensions: 130.5 × 43.2 × 31 cm · 51.4 × 17.0 in
Origin: Cameroon
Collection: Major Acquisitions Centennial Endowment

Placing a love & harmony work

Works in this thread tend to come in twos — two figures, two birds, a pair of forms leaning toward each other — or in the warm end of the spectrum, roses and garden light and skin. Traditionally hung in pairs rather than singly, and never so high that the figures look away from the room.

Direction: South-west — the quarter of partnership
Rooms: Bedrooms · Dining rooms · Shared studies · Guest rooms

See the whole thread

Provenance & rights

Source collection: Art Institute of Chicago. Major Acquisitions Centennial Endowment. Public domain (CC0). Shown here for reference, with full attribution to the artist and holding institution. No edition of this work is offered.