Portrait Figure of Metang, the 10th King of Batufam
c. 1912-1914
Carved by Mbeudjang (Eastern Bangwa, active early 20th century) Bamileke Kingdom of Batufam, Cameroon Coastal West Africa
Cameroon
This stylized portrait of Metang was commissioned around 1912, when he was initiated into kingship. The ruler holds a buffalo drinking horn and a gourd container, two of the most important regalia throughout the Bamileke kingdoms in the Cameroon Grassfields. This figure was photographed several times, always next to the entrance of the Batufam palace, arranged with a portrait of his senior wife and several other sculptures of kings and queens.
Wood and pigment with traces of chalk and camwood