Palace pillar with female figures

Across the Grassfields, sovereigns’ chambers are designed for both privacy and safety. They have multiple thresholds so the fon (ruler) may circulate undetected. This pillar was carved to support the main portal to the fon’s quarters at Kedjom Keku (Big Babanki). Topped by a worn representation of what was likely a leopard, it is composed of four female figures, each grasping her rounded abdomen. The bottom figure kneels in a posture of supplication that may also suggest childbirth. Following a 1933 palace renovation, this work was relocated to the reception hall and displayed alongside architectural highlights from elsewhere in the compound.