Chair

Object Details

Asante artist

Label Text

Chairs among the Asante are royal or chiefly regalia and are used on state occasions. Derived from 17th-century European prototypes, they lack the spiritual symbolism of stools but do convey prestige. The number of chairs and the degree of elaboration vary with of importance of the ruler. The asipim is the most common. The name means "I stand firm," a reference both to its own sturdy construction and the stability of the ruler.

Description

Low armless chair with slightly inclined backrest with arched top and cast copper alloy finials. The back and seat are of stretched leather attached with brass upholstery tacks. The wood frame is decorated with upholstery tacks, bosses and strips of sheet brass.

Provenance

Unknown maker, Ghana, unknown date; left Asante community under unknown circumstances; acquired by Bud C. Holland (1922-1994) with B.C. Holland Gallery, Chicago, unknown date; given to the Institute of Design, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, by 1993; given as a prize in the Institue of Design Sweepstakes to Tom (born 1945) and Rita Bakos (born 1946), Harrisburg, PA, 1993; donated to the National Museum of African Art, 2000.

Exhibition History

The Power of Gold: Asante Royal Regalia from Ghana, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, Texas, April 15 to August 12, 2018

BIG/small, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., January 17-July 23, 2006

Published References

Walker, Roslyn A. 2018. The Power of Gold: Asante Royal Regalia from Ghana. Dallas: Dallas Museum of Art. illustrated p. 89

Hoffman, Ronald. 2007. "'The Bloody Writing is For Ever Torn': Domestic and International Consequences of the First Governmental Efforts to Abolish the Atlantic Slave Trade." Conference DVD set (August 8-12, Accra and Elmina, Ghana). Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press.

Content Statement

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Credit Line

Gift of Tom and Rita Bakos

Late 19th-early 20th century

Object number

2000-19-1

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply

Type

Decorative Arts

Medium

Wood, copper alloy, iron, leather, fur, paint

Dimensions

H x W x D: 76.5 x 42.4 x 48.9 cm (30 1/8 x 16 11/16 x 19 1/4 in.)

Geography

Ghana

See more items in

National Museum of African Art Collection

Object Name

asipim

National Museum of African Art

Topic

Status

male

Record ID

nmafa_2000-19-1

Metadata Usage (text)

Usage conditions apply

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys72050c81f-a947-47fa-af26-37afb9e7ed1d