Chief’s Caryatid Stool (citwamo ka kaponya) / Artist Unknown, African, Chokwe Peoples Angola
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 2005/1.204
- Title
- Chief’s Caryatid Stool (citwamo ka kaponya)
- Artist Nationality
- Angolan
- Medium and Support
- wood, glass beads, and brass tacks
- Object Creation Date
- 2nd half of 19th century
- Object Creation Place
- Africa (continent)
- Angola (nation)
- Creation Place 1
- Africa (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- Angola (nation)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Candis and Helmut Stern
- Dimensions
- 20.1 cm x 22.5 cm x 22.1 cm (7 15/16 in. x 8 7/8 in. x 8 11/16 in.)
- Century
- Late 19th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Furniture and Furniture Accessories
- Primary Object Type
- stool
- Physical Description
- This hour-glass shaped stool is supported by two caryatid figures who sit in a pose of lamentation—crouched with head in hands. Scarified patterned abstracted tears spill from their lower eyelids. Brass studs adorn the perimeter of the stool’s seat, base, and figures. Both figures wear strings of black, red and white beads around their necks.
- Subject Matter
- Stools like this rarely come out in public. At stately events, stools have animal skins over them, concealing the iconography from view. This stool is carved by a songi or master court sculptor. The power and public secrecy of the stool is such that songi carve royal seats in seclusion away from non-initiates and women. While sculpting, professional carvers strive for minimal design or utombo, which can capture the complexities of Chokwe cultural values.
- Secondary Keywords
- associated concepts
- descriptors
- metalwork
- object genres
- object genres by material
- objects we use
- people and culture
- political concepts
- sculpture
- sculpture by material
- sculpture by technique
- social science concepts
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- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Image Size
- 1854 x 2172
- File Size
- 536 KB
- Record
- 2005/1.204
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2005-sl-1.204/2005_1_204.jpg
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Related Links
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- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:2005-SL-1.204:2005_1_204.JPG
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- Full citation
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"Chief’s Caryatid Stool (citwamo ka kaponya); ; Artist Unknown, African, Chokwe Peoples Angola." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2005-sl-1.204/2005_1_204.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 23, 2024.
