This is an old side-blown trumpet that has been opulently carved. The uppermost tip of the trumpet is in the form of a three-dimensional, standing male figure. The man wears a tall cap on his head and has an elongated face, a short neck, bent arms with upper arm jewellery and a rotund abdomen. Both of his arms are holding a sort of belt (or status symbol) tucked towards his back. The sculpture stands on short, bent, strong legs and feet. He could possibly depict a ‘king’ from one of the many, smaller kingdoms in the fertile grasslands of Northwest Cameroon. There is an all-round band in relief with four further figures below the three-dimensional male figure and a wide relief formed of rings of straight, curved and zig-zag lines adorns this old ivory trumpet. The edged oval blow hole is on the inside. It is overall a very elaborately crafted instrument belonging to a ‘courtly’ music group (‘palace music’). It announced the arrival of the king with its sharp sound.
The ivory from which this side-blown horn is made shows a fine craquelure as a result of its age. Furthermore, it has a beautiful, speckled, honey-coloured and reddish-dark brown patina (ivory naturally darkens and grows speckled over time). There is a small, old fracture on the lower edge, Otherwise no damage. Height: 65 cm (in total); 16 cm (the figure alone). Between the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. (ME) ASA

Provenance:
French private collection; Austrian private collection.

Lit.:
'Kamerun. Kunst der Könige' by Lorenz Homberger, Rietberg Museum, Zurich, ill. p. 142, cat. 24.