Bamileke Ceramic Figural Pipe, Based

Wide-eyed, puff-cheeked, and crowned like it means business.

Bamileke makers of Cameroon, Central Africa, formed this pipe bowl in terra cotta in the 20th century. Figural pipes of the Grassland kingdoms are commonly linked to rank and to the smoking of tobacco at gatherings. The head has round, staring eyes, swollen cheeks and a small mouth with teeth, under a tall cylindrical cap covered in fine diamond stamping. The surface is a dry, earthen gray-brown with a soft, worn feel. A slim black mount holds it upright.

About six inches tall. Keeps watch over the shelf without blinking.