The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of May 5, 2024

Prestige Chair

Prestige Chair

1800s
Wood and paint
Overall: 80.7 x 53.3 x 44.5 cm (31 3/4 x 21 x 17 1/2 in.)
Gift in memory of his parents, Wheeler B. and Dorothy Preston by Mary and John Preston 1983.33
Location: not on view

Description

This stately chair attributed to the Babanki peoples of the Cameroon Grassfields features an unusual configuration
of male and female figures. They are mounted on stylized leopards, animals revered as embodiments of power and
royalty, which stand atop a base of three undulating rings bearing 24 heads. Chairs like this one serve as visual records
that help mark kingships through the ages, conveying power and authority. The chair type was relatively common at the
time; they were carved for sale to Europeans and local patrons, and also used as articles of royal gift exchange.
  • by at least 1983
    Mr. and Mrs. John Preston, Concord, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1983-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Nzewi, Ugochukwu-Smooth C. Second Careers : Two Tributaries in African Art. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2019 Mentioned: p. 34; reproduced: p. 9; p. 35, fig. 24; p. 63, pl. 9. ingallslibrary.on.worldcat.org
    Nzewi, Ugochukwu-Smooth C. Second Careers : Two Tributaries in African Art. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2019 Mentioned: p. 34; reproduced: p. 9; p. 35, fig. 24; p. 63, pl. 9. ingallslibrary.on.worldcat.org
  • Second Careers: Two Tributaries in African Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 1, 2020-March 14, 2021).
    The Year in Review for 1983. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 22-April 8, 1984).
    CMA 1984: "Year in Review 1983," Bulletin, 71 (February 1984), p. 76, no. 223
  • {{cite web|title=Prestige Chair|url=false|author=|year=1800s|access-date=05 May 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1983.33