English: Male figure, Bamum peoples, Fumban, Grassfields region, Cameroon, Late 19th century, Wood, brass, cloth, glass beads, cowrie shells

This life-size male figure from the kingdom of Bamum in Cameroon is a visually compelling example of the splendid beaded sculptures Bamum artists created for the royal court in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Resembling other Bamum sculptures, the face is triangular to oval and has large round eyes. The bridge of the nose is flat and the nostrils flare. The narrow, protruding mouth is framed by a beard, indicated by blue and red glass beads. Colorful beadwork attached to a fabric base covers most of the carved wooden figure, which is elongated and slightly angular.

(National Museum of African Art)