Chair

Object Details

Asante artist

Label Text

Chairs among the Asante are royal or chiefly regalia and are used on state occasions. Derived from 17th-century European prototypes, they lack the spiritual symbolism of stools but do convey prestige. The number of chairs and the degree of elaboration vary with of importance of the ruler. The asipim is the most common. The name means "I stand firm," a reference both to its own sturdy construction and the stability of the ruler.

Description

Low armless chair with slightly inclined backrest with arched top and cast copper alloy finials. The back and seat are of stretched leather attached with brass upholstery tacks. The wood frame is decorated with upholstery tacks, bosses and strips of sheet brass.

Provenance

Bud C. Holland, Chicago, -- to 1993

Tom and Rita Bakos, Harrisburg, 1993 to 2000

Exhibition History

The Power of Gold: Asante Royal Regalia from Ghana, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, Texas, April 15 to August 12, 2018

BIG/small, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., January 17-July 23, 2006

Published References

Walker, Roslyn A. 2018. The Power of Gold: Asante Royal Regalia from Ghana. Dallas: Dallas Museum of Art. illustrated p. 89

Hoffman, Ronald. 2007. "'The Bloody Writing is For Ever Torn': Domestic and International Consequences of the First Governmental Efforts to Abolish the Atlantic Slave Trade." Conference DVD set (August 8-12, Accra and Elmina, Ghana). Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press.

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 Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks.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/

Credit Line

Gift of Tom and Rita Bakos

Late 19th-early 20th century

Object number

2000-19-1

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply

Type

Decorative Arts

Medium

Wood, copper alloy, iron, leather, fur, paint

Dimensions

H x W x D: 76.5 x 42.4 x 48.9 cm (30 1/8 x 16 11/16 x 19 1/4 in.)

Geography

Ghana

See more items in

National Museum of African Art Collection

Object Name

asipim

National Museum of African Art

Topic

Status

male

Record ID

nmafa_2000-19-1

Metadata Usage (text)

Usage conditions apply

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys72050c81f-a947-47fa-af26-37afb9e7ed1d