Accession Number
1985/1.150

Title
Prestige Pipe

Artist(s)
Cameroon

Artist Nationality
Cameroonian

Object Creation Date
1925-1975

Medium & Support
wood, metal, possibly copper and bronze

Dimensions
22 5/8 in x 2 1/2 in x 4 1/2 in (57.4 cm x 6.3 cm x 11.5 cm);22 1/2 in x 2 9/16 in x 4 1/2 in (57.2 cm x 6.5 cm x 11.5 cm)

Credit Line
Museum Purchase made possible by the Friends of the Museum of Art

Label copy
March 28, 2009
Throughout the Grassfields region of Cameroon, pipes were used for smoking tobacco and were enjoyed by men and women alike. Made from clay, wood, bone, or metal, pipes could be plain or lavishly embellished. Pipes such as this one completed the attire of chiefs and noblemen, and their elaborate forms and iconographic motifs communicated royalty and wealth; here, the carved openwork stem is comprised of interlocking lizards, a symbol of prestige. The spiral whorls on the cast metal bowl may represent the coiled serpent, which has varied associations with kingship. Cowrie shells, once a medium of exchange and sign of wealth, encircle the bottom and neck of the bowl. The lip is crowned with a motif of the prestige cap, once worn by men of distinction throughout the region.

Subject matter
Throughout the Grassfields region of western Cameroon, men and women smoked pipes at social gatherings, to rest while working in the fields, and in sessions of the royal court. The kind of pipe that one smoked--its design, iconography, and the materials from which it was made--reflected one’s status in society and an ability to appreciate beautiful things. Pipes drew from a rich repertoire of sculptural forms and symbols that characterized the visual arts of the region. “Prestige pipes” completed the attire of chiefs and noblemen, as their elaborate forms and iconographic motifs spoke of royalty and wealth.

Physical Description
Pipe made in three parts: wood-carved stem, inner metal pipe for drawing smoke, and metal, possibly bronze bowl. Wood-carved, openwork stem is comprised of interlocking lizards; spiral whorls cover the cast metal bowl. bands of cowrie shells encircle the bottom and “neck” of the bowl, while its lip is topped with the classic Grassfields motif of a prestige cap.

Primary Object Classification
Personal Accessory

Primary Object Type
pipe

Collection Area
African

Rights
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Keywords
metal
pipes (smoking equipment)
prestige
smoking (activity)
wood (plant material)