Existing comment:
Victorious.
Hail, the conquering hero!
This masterpiece has an unusually emotional expression that may be associated with the personal style of Bvu Kwam, an early 19th-century master sculptor working in the Grassfields region. According to one field informant, the figure is of King Bay Akiy, the fourth ruler of the Isu kingdom, who reigned in the late 18th century. Depicted returning from victory over the Nshe, a neighboring group, he is seated on a dangerous animal, probably a leopard, and holds a weapon and a head. This pose relates to a regional tradition of representing personal achievement, though the identity of the head itself is uncertain -- it could be a defeated enemy, or the revered skull of a local ancestor. |