A Chokwe Stool/Throne, citwamo...

Description

A Chokwe Stool/Throne, citwamo
Angola, 19th to mid 20th century

Blackened heavy hardwood. A seated elderly naked female is the caryatid of this stool, supporting it with both her hands and head. Stools such as this are not merely furniture, but act as receptacles for the spirit of former chiefs and used only by members of a royal household, the female caryatid signifying the importance of the continuance of the matrilineal line in the society. As such, royal seats are power infused objects that protect living rulers. It would have been brought out of seclusion only on special occasions, covered with an animal pelt, and used as a throne. She has scarification marks in concentric circles on her proper left side and buttocks, and a rectangular checkerboard on her right. There is a carved rectilinear hole between her feet. In very good condition, areas of insect damage and erosion around one-third of the upper edge, tiny insect holes throughout. The number 1204 is inscribed in white ink on the lower edge.

Provenance:
The Dr. Samuel and Lynn Berkowitz Collection
Sotheby's, New York, Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas, 15 May 2003, lot 97
Ernst and Ruth Anspach, New York, NY
Parke-Bernet Galleries, Inc., New York, 4 December 1965, lot 86
Jean-Pierre Fournier, Franconville/Villeneuve-les-Avignon, France

Published:
African Heritage Documentation and Research Centre #0002246

Height: 12 inches

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