Ceremonial Chair or Throne (citwamo ca mangu)
Unknown Artist
1800s
Medium
Wood, upholstery studs, leather
Dimensions
107 × 55 × 55 cm
Classification
Furniture and woodwork
Department
African Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund
Accession Number
2024.140
About this artwork
This citwamo ca mangu chair bears over 40 sculpted figures arranged in complex compositions across the chair’s top rail (back), stretchers (rungs), and legs; all symbolize the power of Chokwe supreme chiefs. Such chairs typically bear a dozen or fewer figures. Scenes of royal life and power wrap around the seat, reinforcing how the chief and his family are at the center of their polity and its business.