BAMILEKE CHAIR
CAMEROON
African & Oceanic Art, Natural History and Ancient Art
Auction: 30 July 2025 from 14:00 BST
Description
Carved wood, of fine and elaborate construction, executed from a single piece of timber, the backrest formed as a standing figure, his hair arranged in an elaborate coiffure, upon his shoulders rest two monkeys, their bodies facing away from the viewer, heads turned unnaturally to face forward, the central figure placing each hand upon larger crawling monkeys which extend forward to form the armrests, a circular seat with incised geometric decoration around the perimeter, supported beneath by a base composed of six figures in procession
Dimensions
111cm tall
Provenance
David Barrett, New York, probably acquired in London in the 1960s
Tim Hunt, New York
Lempertz, Brussels, April 9th 2019, African and Oceanic Art, lot 203
Peter Petrou, London
Private collection, London, acquired from the above