A slender metal pipe about 60 cm long from the Matoum chiefdom in the Sultanate of Foumban, Cameroon. A small bowl with three cast figures sits above an animal head that stands on curved legs.

1. Form and Casting

The pipe is built vertically. A long, thin stem rises from a plain cylindrical section, which leads into a bowl that flares at the rim. Three small figures are attached to the bowl: a seated figure at the front, with a figure in profile on each side, their limbs drawn in thin, angular lines. Below the bowl is the head of an animal with large, pointed ears. A band along its snout is incised with spirals, and a narrow border of fine ornament runs around the neck. The head rests on two curved prongs and a flat, blade-like foot incised with a lattice pattern.

2. Surface

The metal is dark and brown, with a smooth, handled patina. Greenish traces remain in the recesses of the animal head, and the stem shows small pits and surface marks.

3. Use

The collection catalogue describes the pipe as a prestige object, generally not meant for everyday smoking. Its provenance is the Matoum chiefdom in the Sultanate of Foumban.

Summary

A slender Bamum prestige pipe in dark metal, with three small figures on the bowl and an animal-head base with incised spirals.