Accession Number
1997/1.355

Title
Pipe Bowl

Artist(s)

Object Creation Date
20th century

Medium & Support
terracotta

Dimensions
7 1/16 in x 2 15/16 in x 4 1/16 in (18 cm x 7.5 cm x 10.3 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Dr. James and Vivian Curtis

Subject matter
Throughout the Grassfields region of Cameroon, material culture acted as a signifier of a person’s place within the social hierarchy that many kingdoms in this area share. The king, in some kingdoms called the fon, had control over what motifs or symbols could be used on different objects, such as pipes, by certain classes of people.
Both men and women often smoked, although the everyday use of plain tobacco pipes declined after World War II when cigarettes became increasingly popular. Prestige pipes with human and animal images, however, were, and still remain status symbols. Artisans from northwestern areas such as Bamessing, Babungo, and Babessi crafted highly decorated pipes from terracotta, wood, metal, as well as ivory. Brass obtained through trade was used to make pipes exclusively for the king or fon through the lost-wax casting method.

References Cited:
Gebauer, Paul. 1972. "Cameroon Tobacco Pipes." African Arts 5, no. 2: 28-35.
Gebauer, Paul. 1979. Art of Cameroon. Portland, Or.: Portland Art Association.
Homberger, L. 2008. Cameroon: Art and Kings. Zürich: Museum Rietberg.
Northern, Tamara. 1984. The Art of Cameroon. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution.
Page, Donna. 2007. A Cameroon World: Art and Artifacts from the Caroline and Marshall Mount Collection. New York: QCC Art Gallery Press.

Physical Description
Terracotta pipe bowl in a cylindrical shape. The top and bottom edge are decorated with horizontal grooves, while the body of the bowl is covered with small round knobs. Another smaller, cylindrical projection—where the pipe stem would attach—is decorated in a crosshatch pattern. 

Primary Object Classification
Personal Accessory

Primary Object Type
pipe

Collection Area
African

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form. Keywords
pipes (smoking equipment)
prestige
royalty (nobility)
smoking (activity)
social status
symbols of office or status
wealth