The Benedictine Museum of Mont-Febe (suite) 1

This small Camerounese art museum was inaugurated at fhe beginning of January

1910.

Nowadays. besides the Abbia. the museum Possesses other objecls of a very rare

beauty. This is the reason why the Fathers of the institution call it the " Museum of Beauty ".

The origins of most of fhe specimen of this museum are the Tikar, Bamoun and

Bamileke populations which are the most prestigious In the Camerounese art and even in the African art. Among various objects one can notice very nice and exceptional bronze objects.

The technique by which they were obtained is remarkable. It is thefamous "lost wax" technique which was common practice in Ife since the first one thousand years before our era.

i. e. 300 years B. C.

Most of these bronze objects belong to the Tikar, Bamoun civilizations of the West Cameroun. Nevertheless, they have common features with surrounding civilizations such has these of Nigeria, Bénin, Ife, Tiv and more Particularly of Igbo-Ukwu discovered by the archeological excavations.

It is quite difficult to know the exact place of origin of these Tikar bronze objects. There are a Iot of controversies on their age as well. They could be about four to six generations old, between one hundred to one hundred and fifty years, but they could be younger or older. In fact nobody knows of any " younger " of these old civilizations thus advanced and proliferous in bronze objets. A German, named HURTER assured in Berlin in 1911, that he saw at the king NJOYA's court of Foumban two magnificent bronzes thrones; but where would they be now?