Bead All about It!

An animation of the Throne of Njouteu that was made with the help of our #MetKids animators! GIF by author

«As you probably know by now, the #MetKids map has tons of objects and information about many of the artworks within the walls of The Met. In fact, the #MetKids map features over 2,000 artworks—but The Met has over two million! Have you ever wondered about some of the objects we couldn't fit on the map, like the Throne of Njouteu, which represents a royal couple, in gallery 352? Well, now you can bead all about it!»

A view of the Throne of Njouteu in gallery 352. Photo by Oi-Cheong Lee. Throne of Njouteu: Royal Couple (detail), late 19th–early 20th century. Cameroon, Grassfields Region. Bamileke peoples, Chiefdom of Bansoa. Wood, glass beads, cloth, cowerie shells, H. 64 x W. 29 1/4 x D. 26 1/2 in. (162.6 x 74.3 x 67.3 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Rogers Fund, Andrea Bollt Bequest, in memory of Robert Bollt Sr. and Robert Bollt Jr., and Laura and James J. Ross and Anonymous Gifts, 2014 (2014.256)

Throne of Njouteu: Royal Couple was made by the artists of the Bansoa Chiefdom during the late 19th to the early 20th century in the Grassfields region of Cameroon, which is in Central Africa. The sculpture consists of wood, cloth, glass beads, and cowrie shells. It was acquired by the Museum after John Kerschbaum illustrated the map, which is why the sculpture doesn't appear on it! Fun fact: The beads that decorate this sculpture are blue because the color symbolizes royalty. The blue beads show that the leader who owned this throne was very important.

This close-up of the royal couple shows just some of the thousands of beads that are on the sculpture.

This throne of many beads is fit for royalty. A chief named Njouteu commissioned, or ordered, the throne when he came into power. It features a royal couple supported by a leopard, which is a symbol of kingship. In Bansoa, the higher your seat was from the ground the more powerful you were. No one could sit higher than the ruler. What's the highest seat you ever sat in? How did it make you feel?

This leopard represents power and leadership! GIF by author

Everything you see on the throne is an example of the chief's wealth and power. Artists spent years adding the thousands of glass beads, which came from Europe, until the sculpture was finished. Even the wood used to make the sculpture comes from a special type of tree that could only be used for the king.

#MetKids added their own beads, shells, and more to this artwork to make a dazzling animation! Watch #MetKids—Beads Extravaganza to see what they came up with.

What patterns can you find on the Throne of Njouteu? Look at the symbols for different animals from Cameroon's Grassfields region below, and create a symbol for your favorite animal. Then draw your symbol over and over again to make your own pattern.

Get inspired by these symbols and create your own!

Share your symbols and patterns with us by emailing a picture of them to metkids@metmuseum.org. We can't wait to see what you create!