Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;2manybooks, post: 9534105, member: 8267&quot;]At that weight, the chair is unlikely to be a functional sedan chair for transporting dignitaries long distance. More probably, it is a prestige chair for a chief. Such symbols of authority would be brought out for official functions, and sometimes travelled with the chief if he went beyond his village.</p><p><br /></p><p>I cannot find a direct comparison, but elements of the style are reminiscent of Senufo carvings. The Senufo are a linguistic group in northern Ivory Coast (Cote d&#039;Ivoire), southeastern Mali, and western Burkina Faso, well known for their artistic carvings and other woodwork. At any rate, I believe the chair would have originated somewhere in that broader region of West Africa.</p><p><br /></p><p>Are the bands on the chair made of iron? (You can test it with a magnet.) If so, that would be another sign of importance and prestige - it represents a significant amount of skilled blacksmith&#039;s work. Blacksmiths are held in high esteem due to their specialized knowledge and skills. It is interesting that the straps resemble basketry. In Senufo society, there are hereditary groups of artisans and the <i>Fonombele</i> group specializes in blacksmith and basketry work. </p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senufo_people" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senufo_people" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senufo_people</a></p><p><br /></p><p>As to what to do with the chair, I cannot make specific recommendations without knowing where you are located. But if you can, I would try to find a university or museum in the area with an African collection to see if they would be interested. Without documented provenance it might be a hard sell at auction, but a museum might be interested in a donation.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

Your name or email address:

Do you already have an account?

• No, create an account now.
• Yes, my password is:
• Forgot your password?

Stay logged in