54 - Chief’s Chair

Chief’s Chair Depicting a Seated Thinker Wood, honey- and russet-colored patina, signs of age. Chokwe, Democratic Republic of the Congo. 29 x 12 x 22 cm The seat rests on the head of a seated figure, with elbows resting on the knees and hands drawn back behind the ears. The curves of the arms frame the face and lend this compact silhouette a meditative presence. This posture can be compared to depictions of lineage ancestors in Chokwe sculpture. Seats of this type were the property of chiefs; their anthropomorphic supports thus linked the exercise of authority to the presence of ancestors. Documentary reference: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, Stool, inv. 85-15-21: a chieftain’s seat supported by a crouching figure, interpreted as a reference to male ancestry. Comparative reference: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Royal Seat, Chokwe, inv. 1978.412.545, H. 24.8 cm. This seat features a figure in a similar posture, supporting the seat above its head. The museum’s example is distinguished by its decoration of brass nails, whereas our seat emphasizes the simplicity of its forms and the presence of the figure. The placement of the hands and the rendering of the face offer two distinct expressions of the same sculptural repertoire.