Tribal Art

Nyamézi Throne (N° 19545)

This chair, or throne, on three legs, with a female figure forming the backrest, materializes a concept of fecundity and lineage. The hollowed out eyes were usually encrusted with white pearls. The size of the ears contrasts with a classical physiognomy. Shaded, veined patina. Abrasions.
The Nyamwezi , Nyamezi , form the largest group among the tribes living in north central Tanzania. Coming from diverse origins, although sharing similar cultural specificities, their ritual and artistic production consequently presents very different formal aspects. The cult of ancestors and chiefs, of major importance within their culture, has left its mark on their statuary. The Sukuma and Nyamezi produced statues represented in a static position, some of which, with their filiform limbs, evoke the artistic creations of Alberto Giacometti. They were involved in the nineteenth century in the caravan trade that crossed their territory the Unyamwézi . They were thus led to travel from the Congo (D.R.C.)to the coastal cities of the Indian Ocean, where they were referred to as "Nyamwézi," "men of the moon" or "men of the West." Organized in villages headed by chiefs, their spiritual life remained under the responsibility of the sorcerer.