Perlada Female Statue

Female statue covered in glass beads. They are called "pearled" figures, masks, statues or any other object covered with beads or ceramic pearls. The art of pearl was reserved for the royal families who imported from Venice, for centuries, large quantities of multicolored glass beads. For a time, they traded slaves for glass pearls. The Bamilek artisans have been the great masters of this art, mainly those of the Sultanate of Bamun. They are cutting or real arts. Their originality consists in having introduced polychrome thanks to the technique of pearling or covering of statues with beads and multicolored beads. This art is exclusively reserved for the king, his family and some notables, as well as the art of forging and casting of metals. In all Grassland art and power were intimately united. It seems that some kings (fon) also practiced the art of pearl. This figure is covered with red, white beads forming vertical and yellow lines, the latter used to enhance the breasts. The face covered in red beads.