Head Crest
| Origin | Bamum kingdom |
|---|---|
| Title | Head Crest (Tu Ngünga) |
| Date | First quarter of the 20th century |
| Medium | Wood, pigment, fiber, and and raffia |
| Dimensions | Object: 30 1/4 × 26 1/2 × 21 in. (76.8 × 67.3 × 53.3 cm) Overall (includes tassels): 41 3/4 × 26 1/2 × 21 in. (106 × 67.3 × 53.3 cm) |
| Credit Line | Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University |
| Accession Number | 76.69 |
| This artwork is currently on view. | |
This mask has a small head wearing a headdress, surrounded by a thick coat of fibers and raffia, which extend downward from the head. White, black, and tan pigments depict the skin, eyes, eyebrows, and mouth on the face; black pigment is also used for the headdress.
This head crest has been associated with a masquerade that was part of a festival called patambuo, which was created by King Njoya around 1910, but which was held for only a few years. Celebrated in conjunction with a successful harvest, the festival included masked performances and the distribution of salt and various agricultural products by the king to his wives, the princes and princesses, and lineage heads, who in turn gave it to their dependents and attendants.
Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.
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Cite this page
"Head Crest | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=76.69