H x W x D: 16.4 x 42.3 x 40.8 cm (6 7/16 x 16 5/8 x 16 1/16 in.)
Type:
Decorative Arts
Geography:
Gabon
Date:
Early to mid-20th century
Label Text:
This beautifully carved stool typifies the changes in attribution an object may undergo. The donor identified it as being from the Chokwe peoples of Angola. Early 20th-century postcards, however, show similar stools from the Aduma peoples of Gabon. In 1980 this identification was changed, based on fieldwork, to Kota-related peoples.
Description:
Low wood, openwork six-legged stool with concave top and cone beneath.
Provenance:
Eliot Elisofon, New York, -- to 1973
Exhibition History:
African Mosaic: Selections from the Permanent Collection, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., November 19, 2013-–August 12, 2019 (deinstalled July 9, 2019)
African Mosaic: Celebrating a Decade of Collecting, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., November 19, 2010-November 19, 2013
Published References:
Sieber, Roy. 1980. African Furniture and Household Objects. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, p. 155.
Content Statement:
As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
Image Requests:
High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
