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Furniture

Footrest

Footrest

Furniture

Semi circular foot rest with a solid top carved around the edges with a chain of cowries end to end and wavy lines to form a border, plain inside. Top held by open frame work carved with cowrie chains. In the open spaces on the curved edge are a bush cow's head in the center, and two elephant mask forms on either side. On the straight back side is a spider framed by cowrie shapes.

Footrest

Footrest

Furniture

Zoomorphic sculpture including two leopards that are lying down, their heads turned towards the left and right. Top of the footrest and edge are carved with cowrie shapes. Remnants of black and white pigment.

Footrest in the shape of two leopards

Footrest in the shape of two leopards

Furniture

Zoomorphic sculpture including two leopards, lying down, heads and front legs facing outward. Top carved with lozenge shapes representing the leopard's spots

Stool

Stool

Furniture

Round seated stool with triangular shapes carved around the sides of the seat. Pedestal formed of three splayed feet that converge in to the center beneath the seat.

Stool

Stool

Furniture

Solid circular seat above an open circular base. The seat rests on the back of a monkey that is standing with all four legs on the base. Entire piece is covered in cloth, then with cowries that have been stitched to the cloth. The monkey's flat face is covered with small black beads with cowrie eyes and mouth. Two pillars, one from the neck, and one in the middle of the back, and the monkeys' tail connect the figure to the seat.

Stool

Stool

Furniture

Fragment of a round seat that was held by the heads of three animals, likely to have been leopards.

Stool

Stool

Furniture

Round seat supported by four large spiders and cowrie shapes in a circle.

Stool

Stool

Furniture

Round seat with zigzag pattern carved around the side supported on a pedestal split into three splayed legs. Legs are carved with textural ""V"" and short line patterns.

Stool fragment

Stool fragment

Furniture

Round plain slightly depressed seat banded around the edge and carved with four cowrie shapes and some vertical lines. Seat sits on top of a human head with protruding triangular ears. Obvious chisel marks over the surface. Ends with the neck.

Stool/side table

Stool/side table

Furniture

Round stool supported by three male figures with upraised arms holding it. Their faces are painted white with black features. The stool has evidence of having been painted with red pigment which has faded Edge of the seat is still red and it and the base are carved with geometric patterns.

Throne

Throne

Furniture

Round stool set upon zigzag carvings of 14 bat's heads all around. Edge of the seat and base are carved with connected cowrie shell images and lines and dots.

Throne

Throne

Furniture

Round stool supported by a base carved with interlocking leopards

Throne

Throne

Furniture

Black round stool with lozenge shaped carvings along the rim of the seat and the bottom of the stool. Supported by two rows of interlocking open wave shaped carving around the base with a row of 10 leopard heads in between.

Throne

Throne

Furniture

Ornately carved throne with high back and arms. Back is carved with bull's heads and interlocking open wave shapes around the edge. Arms are supported by figures of leopards. The seat is supported on the front corners by men wearing traditional caps holding palm wine cups. The base is made of carved bull's heads.

Throne

Throne

Furniture

High backed throne carved with royal icons: arms are figures of lions, with their tails going up the edge of the back; seat is supported by two male figures wearing traditional caps and loin cloths, holding a staff and smoking a pipe on the sides with a leopard facing the front of the seat; the back made up of a central double gong with three carved faces on either side with circle shapes above them, topped by four spiders. Seat is edged with lozenge/cowrie shaped carving.

Throne

Throne

Furniture

High backed throne carved with royal iconography: Seat is supported by two male figures facing the outwards on either side, wearing traditional caps, long loin cloths or wrappers, and holding cups. In between the two men, facing the front is the figure of male lion. The arms are formed of two leopards with their tails extending up the side of the back. The back is carved with a double gong in the center, surrounded by elephant tusks arching over the gong, next to which are the faces of two men. Above the gong is a male mask with spider forms on either side.

Throne

Throne

Furniture

Round seat supported by three spiders set onto a circular base

Throne

Throne

Furniture

Stool like throne with eight spiders carved on its pedestal, with geometric shapes carved around the base and seat.

Throne

Throne

Furniture

Stool like throne carved with three leopards facing outwards beneath the flat, round seat. The round platform that holds the leopards is supported by the carved heads of three men, also facing outwards. It is carved around its rim with spider/diamond shapes.

Throne

Throne

Furniture

Stool like throne. Flat round seat sits on top of a leaopard that is carved as though walking with its tail in the air. The tail is one of three supports that hold up the seat.

Throne

Throne

Furniture

Oblong seat supported by pillars at each corner carved with two spiders on each side, one on top of the other.

Throne

Throne

Furniture

Stool with round, slightly concave seat, supported by four pillars carved on the front and back facing sides with two spiders, one on top of the other. The sides of the seat are also carved with two spider forms in the front, side by side.

Throne

Throne

Furniture

Round seat with a rim carved with a narrow row of bead like shapes on top and a chain of cowrie shapes around the side. Pedestal formed of the front half of four leopards, their ears standing up and holding up the seat. They stand upon a ring carved with cowrie shapes end to end.

Throne

Throne

Furniture

Round seat supported by two tiers of figures, the lower one sits on a base carved around with diamond shapes that are painted white and is comprised of the heads of seven men with roughly carved features painted in with white. The second tier is comprised of the heads of seven dogs, eyes are painted white. The edge of the seat is carved with interlocking waving lines, painted white.

Throne

Throne

Furniture

Round seat held up by three nude male figures standing in a circle with upraised arms. Two are significantly taller than the third one.

Throne

Throne

Furniture

Round seat decorated around the edge with spider shaped carving. The seat is supported by four nude male figures that are carrying it on their heads and upraised arms.

Throne

Throne

Furniture

Round seat supported by four carved spiders set onto a round base.

Throne

Throne

Furniture

Round flat seat supported by five carved spiders set onto a round base.

Throne

Throne

Furniture

Round seat supported by figures of ten men with upraised arms, wearing traditional caps and loin cloths. Some are standing on figures of spiders.

Throne

Throne

Furniture

Stool with a round seat carved with cowrie shapes in star patterns around the edge. Supported by four nude male figures that are squatting with their elbows on their knees, hands on their faces. They are facing in pairs towards the front and the back of the stool. They are resting on a rectangular base that is also decorated around the sides with cowrie shapes in star pattern.

Throne

Throne

Furniture

Roughly carved circular seat, with semicircular carved back. Inside is very roughly carved and undecorated. The seat is held up by four figures carrying it on their heads and raised arms, except for the two at the back whose arms are connected. Raised arms at right angles. They stand on a circular open base. Rungs of the back are vertical slats and two gong like shapes, end to end with small end touching, large end touching the upper edge and seat.

Throne

Throne

Furniture

Circular seat with semicircular curved back. Back is carved out with a man holding up the edge of the back in the center, arms upraised. He stands between to leopards that face him and their tails touch the outer edges of the back. They carry ten heads of dogs on their backs and the man's upper arms. The size of the dogs' heads diminish towards the edge of the back, following the shape of the curve. The seat is held up by a leopard standing with its forefeet on the front of the base, rear legs on the back. Perpendicular to the leopard are two male figures on either side resembling the one on the back, holding up the seat on their heads and upraised arms, legs spread in a squatting position.

Throne

Throne

Furniture

Circular seat with a high curved back carved from a solid piece of wood, rounded and carved out diamond shapes throughout. Back extends to arms in the form of lions, heads faced out, with open mouths showing teeth, appearing as though tails curve up to form the edge of the back. Seat is held up by a crouching male figure (perhaps the Fon) in traditional cap, and loin cloth, arms akimbo and behind him resembles the back of the throne itself. On either side stand two figures holding calabashes in both hands, similarly dressed. At the back is an antelope head, horns touch the seat, nose touching the base. Base is an open circle.

Throne

Throne

Furniture

Stool like throne with front part of two leopards in relief facing outward front and back between pillars carved with two spiders each. The leopards' ears are standing up vertically and support the seat. The sides of the oval shaped seat are carved with lines, zigzag and diamond shapes as is the base on which the leopards are standing.

Throne

Throne

Furniture

Round seat supported by three tiers of men's heads on a circular open base. Tiers are separated by waving line. Features and hair colored with black pigment.

Throne and footrest

Throne and footrest

Furniture

High carved back is carved with double gong at the center, on either side male heads wearing tall caps set on posts decorated with cowrie shell images. Above the gong a third head with spider images on either side. The arms are formed of carved spiders, hand rest of smiling male faces without caps set on a post decorated with cowrie images. The round seat is set upon a base supported by a central female leopard with male heads with full cheeks wearing traditional caps. The foot rest is carved with four cowrie images on top, cowries carved around the edge, and two men's heads on either end.

Throne and whisk

Throne and whisk

Furniture

Round seat supported by two spiders stacked in each of the four corners of the pillar beneath it. Seat is decorated with carved cowrie shell shapes around the edge. The whisk accompanies the throne. The handle is covered in leather, the end of which is carved in geometric shapes. Whisk of black hair, unknown origin

Thrones and whisk

Thrones and whisk

Furniture

"A" has a round seat supported by a base carved in 2.5 rows of interlocking wave patterns. The fiber broom/whisk with woven handle and cowrie shell decoration is permanently attached to it."B" is a round seat supported by spider forms. "C" is a round seat supported by a base carved in 1.5 rows of interlocking wave patterns.