Beaded Terracotta Bamileke Elephant, Cameroon - Small

Description of Significance:

Beaded Bamileke art from Cameroon is a vibrant and intricate form of artistic expression, often associated with royalty and prestige. The Bamileke people use colorful glass beads to create elaborate patterns on masks, sculptures, thrones, and other ceremonial objects. These artworks, primarily made for kings and important dignitaries, symbolize wealth, power, and spiritual connection. Beading is applied onto wood, cloth, or raffia, transforming these objects into visually striking, textured pieces. The art reflects Bamileke culture's deep reverence for ancestors and spiritual traditions, while showcasing their extraordinary craftsmanship.

This is a charming modern Bamileke piece that references historic artwork.

Country of Origin:

• Hand-beaded in Cameroon

Dimensions (inches):

• Depth: 4"
• Width: 5"
• Height: 8"

Materials & Display: 

• Glass beads
• Terracotta
• This piece has a wire on the back, allowing it to be easily hung on the wall.

About Decorative African Art:

Hemingway Gallery only purchases pieces from artists or owners that we approve of historically and aesthetically. These might include artworks that have been newly created and are currently being used in ceremonies. We place high value in these pieces, despite their lack of age and antiquity, regarding them as real even though they are not old. Some are created for use by the people and not made for the tourist trade. Ours are by talented artisans creating fine art that reference historic styles. Newly produced African art is gorgeous and we value these pieces. This includes contemporary aesthetics from the continent that may not necessarily look traditionally ‘African’. Our goal is to represent design in Africa that goes beyond the idea of ‘tribal’ as the styles of emerging artists are ever-evolving.

Our Pricing:

Our pricing correlates directly to the asking prices of artists, artisans and art dealers in the various African countries we collect from and the costs of importing their artwork to the U.S. We need to change the idea that artists should be paid pennies for their fine art just because it comes from Africa. Paying a fair price to our artists is our number one priority and our pricing reflects that. Everything is ethically sourced personally by the owners of our family business.

Shipping:

• Subsidized FedEx Ground Shipping: $20
• This Giraffe may be shipped with the neck folded down. 
• A FedEx Declared Value is included on each package so a signature may be required on arrival.
• We ship around the world! Our website is still new and is not yet processing automatic international shipping rates. Please contact us directly for custom shipping quotes outside the mainland USA (including Hawaii and Alaska).