Royal throne (Ngundja) – Wood – Chokwe – DR Congo

Wonderfull wooden Royal Chokwe throne  from DR Congo. Detailed piece with finely carrved wooden Chokwe figures. In many societies of Central Africa, such as the Chokwe and related peoples like the Songo and the Ovimbundu, functional artifacts are transformed into prestige objects that commemorate the power and status of the chief.

The elaborate figurative scenes depicted on this and other seats of office are designed as symbolic microcosms of life and represent the breadth of a leader’s concerns and responsibilities. The back uprights contain scenes from the spiritual aspect of life, including depictions of ancestors or chiefs.

The degree of artistic refinement and elaboration characteristic of this throne reflects the quality and symbolic complexity of art forms exclusive to paramount chiefs at the peak of Chokwe political and cultural influence

Good cnondition with traces of wear and tear. Heavy piece, total weight: 9100 gram.

Provenance: former private Italian collection