BAMILEKE, West Cameroon. Tsema 'bu" or "Batcham"... Lot 85

BAMILEKE, West Cameroon. Tsema 'bu" or "Batcham" mask. Wood, natural patina and fiber remnants. 69 x 60 x 17 cm. Expert : Christian NJIENSI Provenance : Succession Tourangelle. Note: The prairie region of western Cameroon, populated by the Bamiléké, is one of the greatest centers of art and culture in Black Africa, which was organized according to a highly structured hierarchy based on royalty and secret societies. The "Tsema'bu" mask of the "Msop" brotherhood is commonly known as the "Batcham" mask. This name refers more to the Kingdom of Batcham, where the first of these masks was discovered and collected in 1904. Our example is close to the characteristics of the Bandjoun region. Tsema 'bu" masks are an instrument of social control, expressing or representing the power and position in the social hierarchy of the great notables and the Fo' ô. They belong to the "Msop", a powerful and ancient society whose grand initiates, the only ones authorized to wear them, are the true pillars of political and religious power in Bamiléké country. The "Tsema 'bu" only comes out on rare occasions, such as the funerals and enthronements of the king and the nine notables, or brotherhood meetings. As we still don't know everything about the rare Batcham masks, we have to observe them to make them speak for themselves, beyond their origin, their history and their traceability. This one is luminous thanks to its light-colored wood, majestic thanks to its overall allure and iconic thanks to its powerful expressionist vein and the exceptional plastic solutions it suggests, invented by the creative genius of the master sculptor, here anonymous. Finely highlighted, the eyes with their multiple pupils seem to see beyond reality, to pierce who knows what mystery. The whole face, pressed down and even slightly crushed, serves as a pedestal for a large, symmetrical, carefully grooved form that resembles a sun disk and a shadowy palm. Slightly curved, it falls just right. A little further back, it would be stiff; a little further forward, it would be unbalanced: the relationship between full and empty finds the right balance here. The back of the mask is equally remarkable. A chiselled crest ensures unity, running across the entire surface, linking top and bottom. The mask worn was thus an object exalting the entire plant and animal kingdom, intended to be viewed from all sides, including in profile. A regal object, it presents itself at its best from every angle. In traditional terms, this mask represents the head of a hippopotamus "Dzetshe" emerging from the waters and which is the Pi, the animal double of a great dignitary or chief (Fo' ô), enabling the individual to have a double existence and to appropriate the qualities of the chosen animal to act more effectively in community life and to protect himself. Carbon-14 dating analysis of the wood yielded a 95.4% confidence level for dating between (1806-1926), with a presumed period of the 19th century (Scientific Report 0224-OA-265J, CIRAM). This analysis was followed by a xylological study to identify the wood species, which belongs to the Boraginaceae family of the Cordia genus and most probably to the platythyrsa species. Commonly known as Ebe, this species is found in tropical Africa, from Sierra Leone to Cameroon (Scientific report 0224-OA-265J, CIRAM). The felling of this type of wood (Ebe) was regulated by the Fo' ô and accompanied by various rites. In particular, the carver, guardian of the tradition, observes sexual continence and food taboos during his operations. To this day, only around twenty "Batcham" masks are known to exist in the world, and our example is one of the last so-called Batcham masks in private hands. Contributions : - Bettina VON LINTING: article on request ordre.achat@hdv-giraudeau.fr -Gérard MACÉ, writer and poet, author of the book Chefferies Bamilékés. -Hugues DUBOIS, photographer. -CIRAM, materials analysis laboratory. Literature: -" Batcham", sculptures from Cameroon. Nouvelles perspectives anthropologiques by Jean Paul NOTUE. Musée de Marseille, Réunion des Musées Nationaux, 1993. -" La Panthère et la Mygale", kings and sculptors of West Cameroon. Louis PERROIS and Jean Paul NOTUE. Éditions Karthala-Orstom, 1997. -" Chefferies Bamilékés" Gérard MACE. Éditions Le Temps Qu'il Fait, 2014. -" Les Masques dits 'Batcham' "', Pierre HARTER. Arts d'Afrique Noire, no.