Drinking horn
20th century, 1950–2000
Object PlaceCameroon
Medium/TechniqueHorn
DimensionsOverall: 13 x 32.5 x 8.5 cm (5 1/8 x 12 13/16 x 3 3/8 in.)
Lender accessory (Approximately): 33 x 17 cm (13 x 6 11/16 in.)
Lender accessory (Approximately): 33 x 17 cm (13 x 6 11/16 in.)
Credit LineGift of Geneviève McMillan in memory of Reba Stewart
Accession number2009.2686
On View
Not on viewClassificationsDecorative arts
Collections
Workshops that specialized in the production of title cups sold them to patrons throughout the region. The style and extravagant motifs on this horn suggest it was meant as a display piece, perhaps in the parlor of an important man or in the collection of a foreign patron. The piece features crocodiles (animals associated with rulers), the earth spider (which played a role in divination), the frog, and, on the back, a human head.
Inscriptionswhite adhesive label with green printing on underside of base: "252"Provenance1970s, sold by an African dealer in Cambridge, MA, to Geneviève McMillan (b. 1922 - d. 2008), Cambridge, MA; 2008, to the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation, Cambridge; 2009, gift of the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation to the MFA. (Accession Date: June 17, 2009)
20th century
