Bamileke peoples, Grasslands Region, Cameroon. Dignitary’s Hat, 20th century.
The Baltimore Museum of Art: Gift of Robert and Mary Cumming, BMA 2010.67
Dr. and Mrs. Robert and Mary Cumming have been avid collectors of art since working together in West Africa as medical practitioners. Many important works in the BMA’s African collection have come from them. Throughout the kingdoms of the Cameroon Grasslands, distinctive hats signal the wearer’s status.
