Caryatid stool

Description

wood, lusterless dark brown patina, encrusted in some areas, male-female caryatid figures in identical posture, eyes inset with metal tags, ornamental ears, coiffures widely projecting to the back, the male figure with beard, the female with raised tribe typical scarifications, slightly dam., (nose, ears of the female), missing parts through insect caused damage (circular base and feet of the figures), fine cracks in the seat;
the stool was the most important emblem of kingship, although it was only one of many objects that constituted the royal treasury. Other insignia included staffs of office, double-ended spears, ceremonial axes and adzes, drinking cups and headrests. Some of these objects were visible to the public eye, wheras others, including stools, were rarely shown in public. Their sanctity was so great and their value so high that they were usually protected by being kept away from the royal compound, in a secret location. Beyond their role as the insignia of a king or chief, Hemba stools have a metaphoric dimension: the stool was a reference to the spiritual seat of royal memory, the locus for the embodiment of a king’s spirit, and the tangible idea of spiritual ascendancy.