Chiefs stool "kiti ya sultani"
D. R. Congo, Maniema, Zula
sold
EUR 3,200
Provenance
Joris Visser, Brussels, BelgiumCornette de Saint Cyr, Paris, 14 April 2007, lot 32
Damien Reeners, Brussels, Belgium
Jo de Buck, Brussels, Belgium
Size
H: 43 cm
D: 30 cm
H: 16.9 inch
D: 11.8 inch
Description
wood,
For a chief stool by the same workshop see Schädler, 2009, p. 641 (AHDRC 0032363).
Art of the Zula was strongly influenced by the Luba empire, but only a few objects have survived due to their conversion to Islam led by Sultani Omari around 1875.
The only objects that seem to have survived are the “kiti ya sultani”, or chiefs stools. As thrones, they symbolized the chiefs power and continuity.
Comparing literature
Schädler, Karl-Ferdinand, Encyclopedia of African Art and Culture, Munich 2009, p. 641 Felix, Marc L., 100 Peoples of Zaire and their Sculpture, Brussels 1987, p. 211Publications
AHDRC: 0032371