African Seats

The seat is an object of great cultural and artistic importance in Africa.

This illustrated volume offers a look at the dazzling variety of chairs, stools, backrests and thrones that have been used throughout sub-Saharan Africa for centuries.

Made from wood, stone, iron and fibres; elaborately carved, beaded or bejewelled, as well as rough-hewn, basic and crude, these artifacts tell us as much about the social customs of the civilizations that created them as they do about their people's incredible artistry.

In colour plates as well as black-and-white photographs, nearly 200 examples of African seats are portrayed in geographical context.

Essays by ethnologists and specialists in the field of African art offer insights into the symbolic importance of the seat.

Whether for cooking, weaving, giving birth, reclining or ruling; whether offered in friendship or war; whether worn smooth by constant use or preserved by non-use, each of these seats possesses an unmistakable beauty and exceptional sculptural power.