Bamileke Figural Pipe with Stem, Based

A chief’s pipe, with a chief’s head on it, smoking nothing.

Bamileke artists of Cameroon, Central Africa, made this figural pipe in terracotta and wood in the 20th century. Elaborate pipes are commonly associated with prestige and court display in the Grassfields. The bowl is modeled as a head with wide round eyes and a small smile, topped by a tall cylindrical headdress incised with a crosshatch pattern. A slim wooden stem rises from the crown. The clay has darkened to a smoky brown-gray, with lighter wear on the high points.

About 6 inches tall, on a black metal base. A conversation piece with excellent posture.