African Tribal Art: Chokwe People, Ivory Coast: Commemorative figure of a Chief, 19th Century. Carved wood wit a beard of human hair. The sculpture is affixed to a low wooden plinth.

The dominant and complex ceremonial "cipenya mutwe" headdress identifies the wearer as a noble. He is poised on a proportionately high seat of office, in the form of a type of folding chair which was introduced to the region by European traders in the eighteenth century. Carved in a symmetrical pose to show his power, the figure holds an object of his status.

Comparable figures are illustrated in Heroic Africans, Alisa LaGamme, published by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Pages 192-193, figures 170-171.

16.25H, 18H on stand (inches).

Private Collection, Massachusetts, Private Collection, New York

Good condition with repairs on the arms.

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