Does anyone have any information about these sculptures?

But you don't know the name of the village, or its location? This is very odd. You are the one in the best position to trace the origin and history of these carvings.

The COA is very difficult to read in the photo you have provided. If you do not read French, you may be able to translate it using google translate. I believe it should state the origin of the carvings - otherwise how could they be "authenticated"?

The style of the carvings is consistent with works from the Bamun and Bamileke areas of the "Grassland" region in southwest Cameroon. Such ancestor figures are often quite large and even life sized. If stored in the king's palace, it is conceivable that they would be in comparatively good condition. But without proof, I would be very skeptical about assigning an age of 200 years.

 

Interesting that one of the experts on the COA is Pierre Messmer. That is the same name as a prominent French government official in Cameroon in the 1950's. The signature doesn't match though.

 

OK, here is something else I have found. Does any of this mean anything to you?

 

It seems these carvings have the potential to be significant. But if you took them to a reputable auction house they would ask several questions:

How and where did you acquire these pieces? - the full story, without evasion.

Where did the supporting documents come from, and how do you know they relate to these pieces?

You are doling out bits and pieces of information without much context, which makes it difficult for anyone to help. It also makes it seem like something fishy might be going on, which may or may not be the case. If you can explain how you acquired these carvings, and verify that the documents you have are related to them, you may have something important and potentially valuable. Well documented African art has real potential value.

There appears to be a village by the name of Banji/Banjii in the District of Bafut, in north west Cameroon. But I don't know if that is the source of the Banjii clan referred to in your last document. It is a tradition in Cameroonian kingdoms to have carved representations of kings, their family members, and important attendants. The last document may be providing the names of the people that the carvings represent, and why they were important.

You may need to find a specialist in Cameroonian history (and art) to explain the information you have.

 

YOU FOUND!!! as if you lost it between July and September? Any other information you might care to share?

 

Hi! I apologise!! I have LOADS AND LOADS of documents. I have:

174 photos of the sculptures
Documents about them leaving Cameroon and the airway fare bill etc and fumigation
Various bits and bobs sent by the village - including this one, I am still working my way through everything.

I just didn't want to overwhelm the board by putting everything on here. I can send a link to my onedrive with documents in it if that helps or will that upset the moderators?

 

How and where did you acquire these pieces? - the full story, without evasion.

I was actually just sorting out the Bitcoin deal. The village had a buyer who wanted to pay in Bitcoin. That's what I do so I became involved. I quite liked the look of them so when the deal fell apart I bought them anyway. The buyer was offering a significant amount so I thought I might be able to find a new buyer. So I paid for the sculptures and they sent them to me here in the UK with a very low value so as to avoid taxes both ends.

Where did the supporting documents come from, and how do you know they relate to these pieces?

This is what I am trying to sort out. The documents all come from the village in Cameroon. But I am trying to piece together the jigsaw. I don't know yet whether they match up with the sculptures but I think they kind of do, after speaking on whatsapp messages etc with the village. But, of course, I need better confirmation than that.

 

Yes, no problems at all.

In that case, it might be best if the posters could say what is you want to see and I will see if I can find it? Otherwise, you will have some 200 documents and masses of gigabytes uploaded to the site, which I am pretty sure no-one wants to see!

Thank you all so very much for your help on this.

 

i am trying to understand cameroon sculpture..............but i'm having a hard time

 

Thank you Komokwa, I have seen these - and millions more but none of mine, which I don't know if that's a good think or not.

There is an interesting article here on Facebook, which I know is a link but it's a facebook link and gives you some good history, which I have just found:https://www.facebook.com/cedianetra...s-beautiful-tourist-sites1-k/151202413158291/

I have been down a good few rabbit warrens trying to find the answers to this. I just want independent proof of what they are, you know?

Thank you all for your help.

 

FYI to all: link didn’t work when clicked(on iPad), but copy and paste in browser works good. *thumbs-up*

 

It is curious that the COA is dated 1963, and the letter from Neba Chungong is dated 1933. What was going on with these pieces between 1933 to 1963 to this year?

When looking through your documentation, and communicating with the village where they were sold, try to find out the name of the village that they actually came from. If you can identify that, you can search for things like anthropological studies or government reports that may have included photographs of the village and any important artworks there. The ideal thing would be to find photos of the pieces in situ. Otherwise, you must go on style alone, which is less definitive.

You might try contacting the Department of Africa, Oceania and the Americas at the British Museum, which has an object identification service:
https://www.britishmuseum.org/our-work/departments/africa-oceania-and-americas#object-identification

Sotheby's also has a Department of African and Oceanic Art:
https://www.sothebys.com/en/departments/african-oceanic-art

They may not recognize your specific objects, but they should be able to confirm their likely origin and potential significance.

 

I should add that, in West Africa, there is always a chance that there is a workshop of skilled artisans churning out antiqued ancestor figures for sale. Such activities started much earlier than most people realize. There is really no substitute for having a knowledgeable and experienced specialist seeing the objects in person.

 

Just saying the Kumbo group chief present the 5 "figurines" (and explain who are the characters and their meaning) to the African Art European experts who certify these are at least 100 years old and cannot be sold or exposed without this certificate, established in two copies.

 

Interesting

 

Hi, yes that's no problem (to me) anyway as I have the originals.

 

Hi, thank you, do you know of anyone in the UK who could do this for me?

 

That COA still has me wondering/worried (looking at all those signatures and the date) Yes,these seem to potentially have important historical significance (like something that should be displayed in a cultural centre or museum) I personally still don’t understand or get why these (if authentic) and documented by Unesco (that’s pretty heavy stuff) will be sold off like this. I mean the King’s palace? So the royal family approved the sale? Are you a 100% sure everything was legal and aboveboard? Is it all legal for you own? I would also
have questions about the original buyer and how the deal was originally set up (you sure that guy is not linked to any smuggling ring or something)

Questions will be asked (dates and documents verified) Questions about time gaps and locations (you better have those ducks in row)

If I were you, I would first have the COA translated word for word. Then have ALL related documents and correspondence printed and filed. Then have them authenticated by a proper authority.

Do you have a legal bill of sale and something similar. If so, is there a signature on that document?

Anyway.. Good luck.. Please let us know