Helmet Mask (ngoin)
- Culture
- Kom artist
- Date
- early 19th century
- Classification
- Bone & shell, masks
- Collection
- Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 117
- Dimensions
- 16 x 10 1/2 x 12 in. (40.6 x 26.7 x 30.5 cm)
- Credit Line
- Museum Shop Fund
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 14:2006
NOTES
Precious materials—beads, cowrie shells, and copper sheeting—enhance the royal status of this mask. The central beaded crest suggests the hairstyle of a royal titled wife. "Kekum njang" masks appear exclusively upon the first public appearance of a new "fon" (king), and typically precede the fon and royal wives in procession. "Kekum njang" masks do not dance but instead stride gracefully, accompanied by xylophone music and shouts from the public eagerly anticipating the appearance of their new leader. On January 10, 1976, this mask appeared during the inaugural public appearance of "fon" Jinabo II at the Kom Kingdom palace at Laikom, northwestern Cameroon.
Provenance
- 1988
Kwifoyn Men's Council of the Kom Peoples of Cameroon
1988 - 2001
Davis Gallery [Charlie Davis], New Orleans, LA, USA, collected from the Kwifoyn Men's Council of the Kom Peoples of Cameroon [1]
2001 - 2006
Alexander Gallery, Inc. [Thomas Alexander], St. Louis, MO
2006 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Alexander Gallery, Inc. [3]
Notes:
[1] A "Provenance Due Diligence Checklist for New Acquisitions" signed by John Nunley of the Saint Louis Art Museum on May 15, 2006 documents a conversation between Nunley and Charlie Davis [Davis Gallery] and states this object was collected by Davis in 1988 from the Kwifoyn Men's Council of the Kom Peoples of Cameroon. Export papers from World International Freight Forwarders, Inc. document this object was shipped from Cameroon on September 9, 1988 [checklist and export papers in SLAM document files].
[2] In a voicemail to Valerie Rudy-Valli on June 5, 2006, Tom Alexander stated he "acquired the work from Charlie Davis on December 18, 2001" [note in SLAM document files].
[3] An invoice dated June 2, 2006 from Alexander Gallery, Inc. to the Saint Louis Art Museum documents the purchase of this object, listed as "Kom Queens Helmet Mask, Cameroon Grasslands" [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, June 20, 2006.
Kwifoyn Men's Council of the Kom Peoples of Cameroon
1988 - 2001
Davis Gallery [Charlie Davis], New Orleans, LA, USA, collected from the Kwifoyn Men's Council of the Kom Peoples of Cameroon [1]
2001 - 2006
Alexander Gallery, Inc. [Thomas Alexander], St. Louis, MO
2006 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Alexander Gallery, Inc. [3]
Notes:
[1] A "Provenance Due Diligence Checklist for New Acquisitions" signed by John Nunley of the Saint Louis Art Museum on May 15, 2006 documents a conversation between Nunley and Charlie Davis [Davis Gallery] and states this object was collected by Davis in 1988 from the Kwifoyn Men's Council of the Kom Peoples of Cameroon. Export papers from World International Freight Forwarders, Inc. document this object was shipped from Cameroon on September 9, 1988 [checklist and export papers in SLAM document files].
[2] In a voicemail to Valerie Rudy-Valli on June 5, 2006, Tom Alexander stated he "acquired the work from Charlie Davis on December 18, 2001" [note in SLAM document files].
[3] An invoice dated June 2, 2006 from Alexander Gallery, Inc. to the Saint Louis Art Museum documents the purchase of this object, listed as "Kom Queens Helmet Mask, Cameroon Grasslands" [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, June 20, 2006.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.