Bamenda Ceremonial Pipe - Bird Form

Hunched creature peers over the bowl of this pipe, while the stem wriggles with carved waves.

This terra cotta ceremonial pipe in the form of a bird is Bamenda, from Cameroon, Central Africa, and dates to the 20th century. Pipes in the Cameroon Grassfields are generally associated with status and hospitality, and are often modeled in animal or human forms. Deep-toned pipe with a seated animal figure behind the bowl, its round head tipped forward, and a flared tail piece. A line of wavy incisions and small ticks runs the length of the stem, with a satin gloss. It is 7.5 inches wide, 1.25 deep and 2.5 high.

Tiny figure, big attitude, long stem.