High-backed chief’s stool (Nyamwezi), late 19thcentury.
Tanzania.
Wood, height: 107 cm.
Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Preußischer Kulturbesitz,
Museum für Völkerkunde, Berlin.
Known for both its history, once property of the Sultan of
Buruki in eastern Unyamwezi, and its aesthetic qualities,
this is arguably the most famous piece of Nyamwezi art.
Generally revealing male or female attributes, stools with
high backs were sometimes used in pairs and reserved for
chiefs. This particular example shows a human figure
carved on the dorsal side of the high back, where the head
and hands projected from the edge as if to protect or
embrace the occupant. The beaded eyes, lean facial
structure, and prominent, pursed lips are very characteristic
of the Nyamwezi, though the base of the stool is what
mainly identifies it - the three convexly curved legs which
alternate with protruding legs.