The usual chief’s chairs of the Chokwe people indeed have similar decoration of figures and reliefs, but they are more delicate and are constructed without armrests. Prototypes for this more simple chair type were the chairs of the Portuguese, which were known on the west coast of Africa from the 15th century onwards. The model for the visibly old chair of the Chokwe presented here must have been another European chair type, probably a Spanish (?) one: larger, heavier, with outward-curving armrests. It was produced by a very talented Chokwe carver and decorated with typical Chokwe figures and reliefs. In all probability it was manufactured still in the 19th century, perhaps at the request of a high-ranking colonial official. A ‘European’ chair in old, African Chokwe style. A typical ‘cross-cultural’ object. The present pageant or chief’s chair of the Chokwe people shows in its upper section, on the backrest, two figures, at the left a kneeling woman, at the right a standing man, depicting a chief or a ‘royal ancestor’, perhaps Chibinda Ilunga, the first king and cultural hero of the Chokwe people. He holds a musical instrument known as ‘sanza’ (‘thumb piano’) in both hands. Between the two lozenge-shaped openwork grids of the backrest stands the figure of a woman with raised arms. Beneath this, on a transverse strut, sit two bearers carrying a litter on which a person lies. The seat surface made of wood shows a characteristic Chokwe face, carved in relief, with the tribal mark of the Chokwe people, a sort of ‘Maltese cross’ (‘cingelyengelye’), on the forehead. Both front sides of the armrests and chair legs carry a face with the tribal mark (‘cingelyengelye’) on the forehead; the four lower struts each carry two figures, carved from the same piece, involved in daily chores (house-building, stamping millet etc. – one figure is broken off and missing). The connection places of the individual parts of this ‘throne’ are decoratively braced with copper, brass and aluminium sheet metal. The armrests with linear relief are decorated with ornamental nails of copper, as is the seat surface. This masterfully carved ‘throne’ has an old, light crack to each of the armrests, with remains of earlier original repairs of black tree resin. One figure is missing below (an old break, as mentioned). Otherwise, no damage, yet with a very old usage patina.

Dimensions: 103 cm x 67 cm x 52 cm. Between the 19th and the early 20th centuries. <

Provenance:According to information from the consignor, it was purchased at the site of origin by her grandfather, a hydraulic engineer who worked in Africa since the late 1940s, and brought home. Since then: Austrian private collection. (ME)