Prestige Collar with Buffalo Heads

Elaborate bronze collars embellished with images of human, bird, or as on this collar, buffalo heads, were among the most important possessions owned by a king, or Fon, of the Grassfields region of Cameroon. The image of the buffalo, an animal revered for its strength, coupled with the value attached to any object cast in metal, makes this an appropriate symbol of the Fon's power.