Chair

Object Details

Ngombe artist

Label Text

Except for the crosspieces between the legs, this chair was carved from a single block of wood. It is both a functional piece of furniture and an intriguing sculpture that combines the form of a traditional African stool with that of a European chair with a backrest. The seat forms an integrated curve with the back, which is cantilevered away from the rear pair of legs. The top and bottom of the seat/backrest are narrower than the middle portion, creating a visually appealing silhouette. Special attention has been paid to the embellishment of the surface. Imported brass tacks cover the upper and lower parts of the stool, and iron tacks at each end create a special band-and-chevron decoration; the back and underside of the chair reveal carefully aligned adze marks whose parallel lines create a faceted surface.

Chairs like this one are illustrated in European travelers' accounts of their visits to Central Africa during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Such chairs were apparently the prerogative of chiefs who could afford the European brass tacks used to decorate them. In Europe during the 1920s, the artist and designer Pierre Legrain (1899-29) designed chairs inspired by the Ngombe and other Central African peoples for his wealthy clients.

Description

Four legged wood chair with a continuous sloping back and seat. The top and legs are covered with brass tacks with band and V sections of iron tacks. There are stretchers between the front and back legs. The back and underside show adze marks and insect damage.

Provenance

Galerie Lualaba, Brussels, 1984

Alain de Monbrison, Paris, -- to 1990

Exhibition History

African Forms in the Furniture of Pierre Legrain, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., August 9-November 29, 1998

America's Smithsonian: Celebrating 150 Years, organized by The Smithsonian, Los Angeles Convention Center, February 9-March 10, 1996; Kansas City Convention Center, April 10-May 19, 1996; Rhode Island Convention Center, Providence, August 21-September 19, 1996; St. Paul Civic Center, October 16-November 14, 1996, Houston, Texas, December 6, 1996- January 28, 1997, Portland Oregon, April 3 - May 6, 1997, Birmingham, Alabama, May 29-July 9, 1997, San Jose, California, July 31- August 25,1997

Art of the Personal Object, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., September 24, 1991-April 9, 2007

Published References

National Museum of African Art. 1999. Selected Works from the Collection of the National Museum of African Art. Washington, D.C.: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, p. 144, no. 104.

Puccinelli, Lydia. 1998. African Forms in the Furniture of Pierre Legrain. Exhibition booklet. Washington, D.C.: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, p. 7, no. 2, cover.

Puccinelli, Lydia. 1998. "Pierre-Emile Legrain and African Design." Newsletter of the Decorative Arts Society, Inc., vol. 6-3, pp. 5-6.

Smithsonian Institution. 1996. America's Smithsonian: Celebrating 150 Years. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, p. 101.

Stockstad, Marilyn and Michael W. Cothren. 2010. Art: A Brief History (4th edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

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Credit Line

Museum purchase

Early 20th century

Object number

90-4-1

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply

Type

Decorative Arts

Medium

Wood, brass and iron tacks

Dimensions

H x W x D: 60 x 33.5 x 60.4 cm (23 5/8 x 13 3/16 x 23 3/4 in.)

Geography

Democratic Republic of the Congo

See more items in

National Museum of African Art Collection

National Museum of African Art

Topic

Household

Status

Male use

geometric motif

male

Record ID

nmafa_90-4-1

Metadata Usage (text)

Usage conditions apply

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys77e532fc9-e14a-4446-9051-f77cffb4e186