FIG. 8 (right):
Crest, tsesah.
Bamileke peoples,
Grassfi elds region,
Cameroon.
Late 19th century.
Wood. H: 77 cm.
Collected in Bana, before 1972;
Collection Artémis; Paul and Ruth
Tishman, New York, by 1972 to 1984
National Museum for African Art,
Smithsonian Institution, gift of Walt
Disney World Co., a subsidiary of
The Walt Disney Company, inv.
2005-6-5.
124
FIG. 9 (right): Crest, tsesah.
Bamileke peoples,
Grassfi elds region, Cameroon.
Late 19th–early 20th century.
Wood. H: 91.8 cm.
Collecting location unknown; purchased by John
and Dominique de Menil from John J. Klejman,
October 1970.
The Menil Collection, Houston, inv. 70-095 DJ.
This example stands out for its broad mouth
as wide as its cheeks and tightly stacked
forward-projecting eyes, cheeks, and upper lip.
Distinctively, all the vertical planes are incised
with graphic patterns. The forehead presents
fl uid, wavy lines engraved across the entire
width. The large open mouth shows thin vertical
teeth interspaced with large concentric circles.
Flared nostrils are carefully defi ned and the ears
are incised with graphic lines. Only the vertical
neck remains unadorned, defi ning an area that
could have been partly covered by cloth during
performance to conceal the identity of the wearer.