A Chokwe Chief's Throne (citwamo ca mangu)...

Description

A Chokwe Chief's Throne (citwamo ca mangu)
Angola, c. late 19th century

This masterfully carved throne translates a European form into a distinctly Chokwe idiom, its structure animated by an extraordinary range of figural vignettes. The front legs are modeled as male and female ancestor caryatids, between which unfolds an enigmatic platform scene of four seated figures addressed by a seated person holding out a bowl. The right lateral stretcher depicts two bearers wearing European style hats carrying a small figure in a hammock; the left shows a couple in a tight embrace. At the rear, a feline poised to spring underscores power and vigilance. The openwork backrest centers on an aged female figure, flanked by geometric and plaited patterns, while the uprights are surmounted by crouching figures with hands to chins. The square seat, covered in animal hide, rests above a symbolic framework that conveys both the prestige of the chief and the vitality of Chokwe narrative carving. In very good, stable condition, the male and female support at front missing feet, proper right leg of the left embracing couple missing, the rear of the leather seat with a crack and losses.

Important for its complex iconographic program and vigorous execution, this throne exemplifies the peak of Chokwe sculptural invention and the syncretism of African and European forms. Few examples combine such a density of narrative carving with such commanding presence. This is a Chokwe throne where wood becomes history-ancestors, spirits, and human dramas entwined in a seat of power.

Provenance:
Acquired by the current collection in 1989
Sotheby's New York, May 8, 1989, lot 93
British Railway Pension Fund, 1979-1989
Sotheby's Parke Bernet London, June 21, 1979, lot 238
Dr. Romao, Quissol, Angola

Published online at the African Heritage and Documentation Centre (AHDRC) # 0002399

Note: This chair was part of a collection of Songo and Chokwe material collected between 1885 and 1895 in Angola. They were photographed by the Berlin Museum in 1910.

Height: 27 ½ inches

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