Chokwe dignitary stool, Angola - Lot 97

Chokwe dignitary stool, Angola An important object enhancing the prestige of its owner, it invokes the protection of the ancestors through the sculpted heads at the ends. The curved seat is highlighted with brass, a common ornament on Chokwe tribal pieces. The solid, arched legs of the seat follow on from the heads. Very fine patina on the seat. 60 x 24 cm Peacefully settled in eastern Angola until the 16th century, the Chokwe were then subjected to the Lunda empire, from which they inherited a new hierarchical system and the sacredness of power. Nevertheless, the Chokwé never fully adopted these new social and political contributions. Three centuries later, the Chokwé eventually seized the capital from the Lunda, who had been weakened by internal conflicts, thus contributing to the dismantling of the kingdom. The Chokwé had no centralized power, but rather large chiefdoms. It was these chieftainships that attracted artists eager to place their skills at the exclusive service of the court. The artists created so many varied pieces of such quality that the Lunda court employed only them. From the 18th century onwards, exchanges with Europeans, particularly the Portuguese, influenced their sculptures.