Bamoun pearl stool c. 1940 Cameroon

The figures on which the stool rests represent respectful servants who place their right hand on the shoulder of the person in front of them, face turned outwards and hand to chin in a respectful attitude greeting the King. The seat is covered with cowrie shell and is carved from a single trunk (an ancient symbol of wealth), pearled and decorated with the red and blue triangle pattern called "Gbatu gbatu", and represents the spotted skin of the leopard, symbol of royal power. Height: 60 cm. Reproduced in the catalogue "Africa Babel: the Art of a Continent", p. 23 below
 
Exhibitions:
2022-2024 Island of Fuerteventura “Art Africa: Ancestral Light”. Lighthouse of the Entallada. Cabildo of Fuerteventura.
2021-2022 Panama City. Government of Panama. “Art Africa: the spirit of the ancestors”. Ministry of Culture Headquarters. Casco Viejo.
2019-2020 Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Caja Canarias Foundation. “Africa-Babel: the art of a Continent”. Headquarters Plaza Patriotismo.
2013-2015 Museum of Art of Africa and Oceania (Madao). La Granja de San Ildefonso, Segovia.
2005 “Black Africa”, Leather Museum.
2004 “Black Africa”. Caixa Laietana Foundation, Barcelona. Main exhibition hall