Zaire: Chokwe people, eastern Angola, 19th-20th century.
Wood
The Clark and Frances Stillman Collection of Zaire Sculpture, gift of Eugene and Margaret McDermott, 1969. S.10
Chokwe chairs carry memories of historical authority, A symbol of authority for chiefs and village headmen, the Chokwe chair is an adaptation of a type very common in Portugal during the 17th century, with leather seat and wooden backrest, Its motifs refers to the carved decorative elements and figurative scenes on the backrest of its European model. The context of the Chokwe adaptation, however, is taken from important events of individual ruler or chief's life. Others depict everyday scenes of social relations within the chief's community. Such scenes, carved on the rungs of the chair, amount to a historical record of Chokwe life and experience. The pre-colonial Chokwe also employed signs as well as images to record and communicate ideas and can be accurately described as a literate people.
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