1980s African Tribal Carved Wood & Gilt Bronze Door

Description

Impressive African tribal carved wood & gilt bronze door, likely an African Bamoun royal door from Cameroon, which would have … more Impressive African tribal carved wood & gilt bronze door, likely an African Bamoun royal door from Cameroon, which would have been in the Ngouot Royal Palace. Featuring an arched frame decorated with elaborate detail from the trim surrounding the three central round scenes alternating from carving to bronze relief figures playing instruments. Carved along the sides and back.
Royal Doors traditionally came from the palace of the Bamoun king and were hand carved and designed by his royal artisans. More than likely, this door came from the Ngouot Palace, now called the Foumbam Royal Palace, and was made in the 1980s by descendants of original Bamoun craftsmen. King Njoya regularly commissioned royal craftsmen to produce decorative relief carvings on doors, window shutters, and other spaces throughout the Royal Palace.
The upper scene depicts traditional dance, possibly a funereal dance conducted on the occasion of the death of a notable person, while the lower circular scene shows the preparation of a meal/feast. These circular scenes portray drummers, dancers, food bearers, musicians, and other celebrants dancing in the foreground of a communal setting.
The central scene includes a highly detailed bronze casting of a lion situated at the very center of the door, affirming the power of the region’s most feared animal. Carved elephants, water buffalos, the iconic two-headed snake and gongs used in village ceremonies are incorporated elsewhere in the door. The outermost ring of the door’s central scene incorporates bronze figures, likely in the likenesses of local notables.
Surrounding the three scenes on the door’s periphery are the sculpted figures of musicians who provide the music for the ceremony. less