A COLLECTION OF BAMUN PRESTIGE HATS
CAMEROON, 20TH CENTURY
£280
African & Oceanic Art and Antiquities
Auction: 1 May 2019 from 12:00 BST
Description
crotcheted cotton in various colours with decorative burls (4)
Dimensions
tallest 27cm
Footnote
Provenance:
Private collection, London
Note:
Hats and headdresses in this distinctive style began to emerge in the Grassfields region of Cameroon around the turn of the 20th century. Traders from northern Nigeria introduced embroidered hats to the area which hid the elaborate hairstyles of twisted strands of hair worn by men. Here, the burls or "dreads" are created by crocheting over individual wooden pegs which imitate these ornate styles.