Commemorative statue of an ancestor.
The sculptor of this statue belonged to the Bamun group, an Islamic tribe living in the south-western region near Foumban. Its style is very particular, as the whole wooden statue is covered by colorful glass beads, of European production. These beads were exported to Africa during expeditions in the late nineteenth century, particularly from France, Holland and Italy. Most of them came from factories in Venice, which produced them in abundance.It represents the figure of an ancestor sitting on a small stool. The statue is completely covered with multicoloured beads sewn on a rough fabric that wraps the whole work.This decorating technique was also developed in the past by the Bamileké group. These populations are based on a social system organised into chiefdoms, which are passed down from father to son. The sculptures of kings, thrones and masks are wholly decorated with glass beads in order to make them more appealing, especially the figures of prominent members of the power hierarchy and those of upper-class ancestors.