Royal Chair (Akonkromfi)

Arts of Africa

Probably mid–/late 19th century

Asante
Ghana
Coastal West Africa

At the height of Asante power in the 18th and 19th centuries, a wide variety of decorative seats, ranging from stools to chairs and palanquins, were developed as symbols of rulership. The wooden frame of this akonkromfi chair is covered with brass knobs, tacks, and decorative repousséd sheeting. Akonkromfi means “praying mantis,” a reference to the chair’s crossed legs, which are derived from a European folding-chair prototype. Akonkromfi are mainly reserved for festive occasions, when they may be carried alongside a chief in procession or used to support the stool that is the ultimate symbol of his divinely sanctioned power.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Arts of Africa

Culture: Asante
Title: Royal Chair (Akonkromfi)
Place: Ghana (Object made in)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: 1850–1875
Medium: Wood, brass, and leather
Dimensions: 96.5 × 61 × 53.3 cm (38 × 24 × 21 in.)
Credit Line: Purchased with funds provided by Jamee J. and Marshall Field
Reference Number: 2000.347
IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/155988/manifest.json

Knoxville, Tenn., Frank H. McClung Museum, The World Moves, We Follow: Celebrating African Art, Jan. 10-May 18, 2003, pp. 24 (ill).

Kao Ibrahim, Ets Kao Ibrahim & Fils, Lomé, Togo, before May 2000 [personal communication from D. Dawson, May 2000]; sold to Douglas Dawson Gallery, Chicago, Ill., from May 2000; sold to the Art Institute, 2000.

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Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.