Currently not on view
Chief's seat (ekele),
late 19th–20th century
Ngombe artist
1998-547
This elegant chair is at once a utilitarian object and a striking sculptural work. The graceful curve of the integrated seat and back, and the four sturdy angled legs, encourages the sitter to recline. Carved from a single piece of wood, it is embellished by a profusion of brass tacks in a bold geometric pattern that imparts a textured surface with both visual and tactile dimensions. Owning such a stool was the
prerogative of a chief; the brass tacks were an expensive import from Europe that further enhanced the object’s prestige. Available from the 1880s, the tacks presented artists with the opportunity to innovate upon a seating form that has been recorded in the region since at least the sixteenth century
prerogative of a chief; the brass tacks were an expensive import from Europe that further enhanced the object’s prestige. Available from the 1880s, the tacks presented artists with the opportunity to innovate upon a seating form that has been recorded in the region since at least the sixteenth century
Information
Title
Chief's seat (ekele)
Dates
late 19th–20th century
Maker
Ngombe artist
Medium
Wood and upholstery studs
Dimensions
43.0 cm x 53.8 cm x 27.7 cm (16 15/16 x 21 3/16 x 10 7/8 in.)
Credit Line
Bequest of John B. Elliott, Class of 1951
Object Number
1998-547
Place Made
Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Materials
Techniques
Subject
John B. Elliott, New York, NY; Princeton University Art Museum, 1998
- Margaret Rose Vendryes, "Africa in repose: stools and headrests," Record of the Art Museum, Princeton University 58 no. 1/2 (1999): p. 38-53., p. 42, fig. 8
- "Selected checklist of objects in the collection of African art," Record of the Art Museum, Princeton University 58, no. 1/2 (1999): p. 77–83., p. 78
-
"The checklist of the John B. Elliott Bequest," Record of the Princeton University Art Museum 61 (2002): p. 49-99.
, p. 73 - Princeton University Art Museum: Handbook of the Collection (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2007), illustrated p. 343
- Princeton University Art Museum: Handbook of the Collections (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Art Museum, 2013), p. 396
