This is the rating and price for 19Th C. African Chokwe Wood Stool, 1992

Description : Central Africa, Angola or the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Chokwe peoples, ca. late 19th century CE. A rare, well-preserved wooden stool featuring a ring-shaped base, a slightly indented seat, and a seated female figure who crouches against the base and holds the seat on the top of her head. The figure is a nude woman with exposed genitalia and breasts. Cross-hatched, herring-boned, linear, and diamond-pattern motifs wrap around her legs, shoulders, torso, and face, signifying ritual scarification. Brass rings and a thin piece of wood through her septum give her ornament. Her face has deeply incised, almond-shaped eyes narrowed to a slit, each set within a deep ring on the face, a small nose, and a thick-lipped, raised mouth. Size: 8.25 W x 13.5 H (21 cm x 34.3 cm) The Chokwe Kingdom rose to power in the late 19th century due to lucrative trade with Portugal in rubber, wax, and ivory. Monarchs and other leaders sat in decorated stools like this one, part of a practice of enthronement amongst many Sub-Saharan groups. The figures who adorn Chokwe stools are often called caryatids, channeling the elegant carvings of women in Greek architecture. The woman on this stool, however, serves a very different purpose to the Greek ladies: she represents a departed ancestor, who provides guidance and protection. Here, she holds her head in sorrow, worrying that her descendants are not honoring her as they should. Her position underneath the seat shows that she symbolically supports the person seated upon it. See a similar example at the Metropolitan Museum of Art: Provenance: ex-Sotheby's, New York Tribal Art auction (sale 6368, November 24, 1992, lot 145) All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #142403

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