Part of a chair
Unknown Artist
1900s
Medium
Wood
Dimensions
49.9 × 2.6 × 4.6 cm
Classification
Furniture and woodwork
Department
African Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of the Gilpin Players of Karamu House
Accession Number
1929.323
About this artwork
This wooden piece is part of a folding chair. Along with a similarly shaped and ornamented piece, it was part of the frame for the plaited reed seat. The holes were functional and allowed the frame of the chair to open or close. The most elaborate decoration was reserved for the upper back of the chair. The simple carving at the top of this fragment depicts a Mangbetu woman with an elongated head.