African Seats

The seat is an object of great cultural and artistic importance in Africa. This beautifully illustrated volume offers a fascinating look at the dazzling variety of chairs, stools, backrests, and thrones that have been used throughout in sub-Saharan Africa for centuries. Made from wood, stone, iron, and fibers; elaborately carved, beaded or bejeweled, as well as rough-hewn, basic and crude, these artifacts tell us as much about the social customs of the civilizations that created them as they do about their people’s incredible artistry. In gorgeous, full-color plates as well as numerous black and white photographs, nearly two hundred examples of African seats are portrayed in geographical context. Essays by leading ethnologists and specialists in the field of African art offer revealing insights into the symbolic importance of the seat. Whether for cooking, weaving, giving birth, reclining or ruling; whether offered in friendship or war; whether worn smooth by constant use or preserved by non-use, each of these seats possesses an unmistakable beauty and exceptional sculptural power.