Ceremonial Chair or Throne (1800s CE)

The Citwamo Ca Mangu is a ceremonial chair or throne created by a Chokwe-style carver in Angola during the 1800s. This elaborate wooden seat served as a powerful symbol of authority for Chokwe supreme chiefs. What makes this particular example especially remarkable is its extraordinary decoration: over 40 intricately carved figures arranged in complex scenes across the backrest, rungs, and legs—far more than the dozen or fewer figures typically found on similar thrones. These carvings depict royal life, family, politics, and commerce, emphasizing the chief’s central role in society. The throne combines European chair form with local African artistry and symbolism, making it a striking fusion of cultural influences.

From the 1500s onward, Portuguese traders presented fine European-style chairs to African leaders and merchants along the coast, including the Chokwe and neighboring groups. These chairs were viewed as emblems of authority and prestige in European eyes, and Chokwe leaders soon adopted the form, adapting it to their own traditions. They combined the chair with earlier prestige seats like stools (ngunja), transforming it into a distinctive symbol of chiefly power reserved for supreme chiefs.  

This throne was likely commissioned locally for a powerful Chokwe leader during the 19th century, a time when the Chokwe expanded their territory through military campaigns and trade. The Chokwe people, a Bantu-speaking group, trace their origins to the Lunda Empire (17th–18th centuries) and grew into a dominant regional power by the 1800s, controlling areas across northeastern Angola, southwestern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and northwestern Zambia. Their economy relied on agriculture (maize, cassava, millet), hunting, fishing, and especially lucrative trade in ivory, rubber, beeswax, and involvement in the slave trade with Portuguese merchants. This wealth supported the creation of elaborate prestige objects like this throne.

The broader history of Citwamo Ca Mangu chairs reflects a fascinating cultural exchange: the form arrived as a foreign gift symbolizing European influence and trade relations, yet Chokwe artists reinterpreted it with their own rich iconography to assert indigenous authority. Such thrones were used in ceremonies and public gatherings, where the chief’s elevated seat reinforced social hierarchy and political power.

In Chokwe society, which is matrilineal (tracing descent and inheritance through the mother) and often polygamous among leaders, thrones like this were potent symbols of divine kingship. Chokwe religion centers on ancestors (mahamba) and spirits, with the chief seen as a representative of higher powers (Kalunga/Nzambi). The throne’s sculpted figures—depicting scenes of royal family life, governance, and economic activity—underscore the chief’s pivotal position at the heart of the community.  

Chokwe art, renowned worldwide, includes masks (such as Pwo for femininity and fertility, or Cihongo for justice and wealth), figures, staffs, and prestige items. These objects are used in rituals, dances, and initiations (mukanda for boys, individual rites for girls). The throne exemplifies the culture’s masterful wood carving and its role in expressing social order, power, and fertility. Today, Chokwe works are icons in global African art collections, and some objects are part of ongoing repatriation discussions with Angola.

The throne is carved primarily from wood, with upholstery studs and leather elements for the seat. The overall dimensions are 107 cm high × 55 cm wide × 55 cm deep (42 1/8 in. × 21 5/8 in. × 21 5/8 in.). The structure follows a European chair form but is densely adorned: more than 40 figures are sculpted in high relief on the top rail (backrest), stretchers (rungs between legs), and legs, creating complex narrative compositions that wrap around the piece.

Detailed provenance for this specific throne is not publicly documented, which is common for many 19th-century African prestige objects acquired through auctions or dealers. Similar thrones have been traced to European collections from the late 19th or early 20th century. This example was acquired by the Cleveland Museum of Art in 2024 through the Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund and is now part of the museum’s African art collection.