Luba Caryatid Throne - Stool

Late 19th Century

This masterwork of  Luba court art was collected by Walter Dehne. Walter Dehne travelled to Africa in 1898 as a representative of the German Trading Company Woermann - Hamburg.

Eduard Woermann (?), Adolph Woermann and Carl Woermann with ships of the Woermann Line and the German East Africa Line. In-between are the buildings of the old branch offices of the Woermann Company in Cameroon.

The Hulk of the company (left) an the  buildings of the old branch offices of the Woermann company in Cameroon (right).

The Adolph Woermann - 1922

(Scuttled by it's crew near Ascension Island in 1939 in order to avoid capture by the Royal Navy.)

Founded by Carl Woermann (1813-1880), the German company C. Woermann was a merchant and shipping company for overseas trade. From 1890 Woermann operated passenger and cargo services between Germany and East Africa, West African and South African ports, as well as between South Africa and India. During it's heyday, between the second half of the 19th and into the 20th centuries, the firm  grew into a family empire.

Late 19th and early 20th century recordings of related stools.

         Lunda King Kazembe - Crawford 1924           Chief Russuna - Cameron 1887                Chief Kajingu - Burton 1927-35

Carl Woermann was a German trader and his son, Adolph Woermann (1847-1910), enlarged the company, then separated the trade from the the shipping, the latter the Woermann-Linie. He virtually controlled the shipping line Deutsche Ost-Afrika-Linie (DOAL), which served German East Africa. Adolph became one of the most important merchants in African trade and the owner of the world's largest privately owned shipping company. He was engaged in the formation of the German African colonies, in particular Cameroon and German South West Africa. His political ambitions led to his election to the German Reichstag.

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 Collected by Walter Dehne from 1898 - of the Woermann Trading Company

 

The stool is small, standing at slightly over 35 cms, or slightly under 14 inches, which in itself confirms great age. There are traces of insect damage with a splattering tiny paint droplets over old patina.

 

 

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This ritual object is made of lightweight wood, consistent with 'symbolic seats of lineage'. Field evidence recorded by W F P Burton, Al Roberts and  Polly Nooter Roberts all confirm 'some' royal stools were not carved to be sat on at all. As such, this object is an 'insignia of royalty' - not a utilitarian object.

 

 

 

WFP Burton - Circa 1920 - Belgium Congo

 

WFP Burton documented a large, light density wood stool with a female figure in a photograph showing the stool actually “sitting” atop an imported folding type stool. Along with a royal staff, the photo illustrates how royal insignia was elevated to display and or kept.

 

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The inclusion of a female figure in this caryatid stool serves as a symbolic function. The female form often related to male chiefs, female figures being 'fruitful' embodiments of concepts of kingship.

 

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Facial features are dominated by overwhelmingly large eyes.

 

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Ironically, these stools were rarely intended for viewing, but kept swathed in white cloth and guarded by an appointed official. They were brought out only on special occasions, such as births, initiation, marriage or death.

 

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Royal stools were reserved for the political and spiritual elite, such as kings, chiefs, priests, medicine men, healers or dignitaries.

 

 

        

 

                                                          Collection - Mark Felix                                                               Crawford - 1925

 

The figure of the Luba Kabila bowl (above left) supports a related kaposhi hairstyle to that depicted on our throne. According to Mary Nooter and Allen F. Roberts 'Memory – Luba Art and the Making of History'; “One of the two figures wears the kaposhi hairstyle of former days-the cross-shaped coiffure found on most Luba and eastern Luba sculptures. It was the coiffure of the Luba chiefs and some of their wives.”
 

Pg 73 Scarifications, beaded apparel filed teeth, cowrie eyes, and metal tacks in the head and coiffure uphold the highest criteria for Luba aesthetics, which alone can guarantee the favor of the spirit world. Conical nails, like hammer/anvils, are multilayered symbols of political power, and serve to protect vulnerable points of juncture and opening.”

 

 

 

The wooden carved conical nails or tacks of the kaposhi hairstyle confirm the female caryatid figure is the representation of a royal wife.

 

Chokwe Throne Struts

Chair Struts - Headboards - Angola

Chokwe and related peoples transformed functional objects into prestige court art commemorating the power and status of the chief. Chokwe thrones often included elaborate figurative scenes - symbolic microcosms of life - or depictions of ancestors and chiefs. The chairs are amongst the few African objects not carved from a single piece of wood, but instead assembled in parts we call struts. Owners of these status symbols were invariably chiefs. Our set of early collected carved struts includes a rare plaque or bed headboard.

Upper Chair Strut

The upper strut of the collection displays two Chihongo figures joining hands.  African wrought nails remain on either side of these highly stylized carvings.

Chihongo is a chiefly male spirit who appears at special royal events and ceremonies, such as initiations for the sons of chiefs, or the investiture of a new chief. He is friendly and displays vitality, power and wealth, aspects depicted by a disc styled beard and an elaborate crown.

Second Portion - Plaque

The second plank from the top dates to 1910. It was made in Dondo Angola, where Portuguese 'Quirion da Fonseca' organized the 'Diamang' workshop at the museum. Elaborate carved plaques were decorated with ancestral representations and pokerwork 'scorched patterns', to use as headboards over small beds. Pokerwork may have been introduced to Angola by the Portuguese, as they observed the widespread technique in Portuguese South East Africa (Mozambique).

Center Double Faced Back Strut

The third double faced strut from the top includes portions of the original chair. It was made in Angola by Luchazi people, who migrated into Zambia circa 1920.

The 'then' owner was attracted to Zambia (Northern Rhodesia), by a missionary hospital at Chavuma. The struts two stylized faces are ancestral representations, also found on Chokwe and related peoples combs, drums and  thumb pianos.

Lower Strut

The lower chair strut includes three carved heads. It was sold at Sotheby's NY in the 1970's and remains with their tag dated to the period. The center head sports a stunning coiffure of 19th century origin and a horizontal figure 8 mouth. Matching tortoise representations are found on either side.

The struts great age is confirmed by carved facsimiles of Chihongo, framing either side of the central head.