Bamileke Beaded Head 22 cm, Female | Aubergine & Ember Glass Bead Sculpture | Living Room Decor, Housewarming Gift | Anya No.5

Anya, No. 5 of the House of Bamileke. A beaded portrait head modelled in Cameroon clay and covered bead by bead in glass beads. 22 cm high.

Aubergine glass, ember eyes. In low evening light she turns almost black, and the eyes stay lit.

HOW SHE IS MADE
She wears the crown knot of the Bamileke women. Molded in Cameroon clay, then covered bead by bead. No two rows land the same way twice.

Each portrait is built by Mustapha in his workshop: the head is modelled in wet clay and left to dry, then the beadwork is laid on row by row, following the sculpted relief, so the beads wrap the brow, the eyelids and the lips instead of flattening them. The last patch takes as long as the first. Five are kept ready in the workshop in this colourway. Each one is beaded by hand, so the rows fall a little differently on every head and yours is its own; the photos show one of them.

SPECIFICATIONS
- Height: 22 cm / 8.7 in
- Width: 12 cm / 4.7 in
- Weight: 1.2 kg approx.
- Materials: Cameroon clay, glass beads
- Palette: aubergine & ember
- Character: female
- No. 5 of Collection 01
- Made in Cameroon, shipped from Morocco

WHERE IT GOES
On a console, a mantel, a shelf of books, a plinth. She reads at eye level and holds a room on her own; the beadwork changes with the light through the day.

SHIPPING AND CARE
Packed in a rigid box with foam, shipped worldwide with tracking. Dust with a dry soft brush. Keep out of direct water; the beadwork is set on clay.