82. BEKOM MASK, CAMEROON wood, beads, shell, metal, fibre, human hair Height 44.5 cm Provenance Martial Bronsin, Brussels Cf. Homberger, L. (ed.), Cameroon: Art and Kings, Zurich, 2008, p.225, cat.119, for a similar mask in the Musée du Quai Branly Jacques Chirac, described as a Palace Mask and attributed to the Kom region, 19th-20th century. The author writes: The broad mask face with strongly individualised features is carved in the naturalistic style which is typical for the workshops of the Kom region. Also common in this region are the use of human hair, and the decoration of the face with sheets of high-status brass or copper. Masks covered with sheet copper are normally the sole privilege of the palace.