Oba Ceremony Bell

Completely unique piece. Nothing like this appears in any book or repertoire of African art. It belonged to a minister from one of Cameroon's first governments. This bell represents an Oba sitting on his throne, with the ceremonial sword "ada" caught with his right hand, resting on his lap, and whose tip comes to grab the left hand. The throne looks like an altar dedicated to the "head", seat of the monarch's spiritual strength and in turn symbol of power. On the front face stands out, in relief, the head surrounded by a festoned ore. On the other three sides, divided horizontally into two parts by a braided cord, there appears, in each of these parts, a head in relief, without an ore. The heads could also be defeated enemies, displayed as trophies. The monarch, dressed in a coat of gala in the shape of a mesh, shows his arms, legs and feet uncovered. A chain of rows (choral, in reality) surrounds his neck. The monarch's torso serves as a handle to the bell, inside of which hangs a metal platter. Everything seems to indicate that this is the bell used by an Oba to impose order and mark the pace of the development of assemblies. The monarch's headdress shows quite old age, possibly before the century XVI.