Ahanta Group,
Akan Peoples, Ghana

Akan chiefs sit on elaborate stools for public events, such as the appointing of sub-chiefs. Their seats are designed to attract admiration and enhance the prestige of the owner. Leopards are associated with leaders throughout Africa; so carving the seat on the back of a royal animal is a particularly dramatic symbol of power. Traces of kaolin (white clay) show that the pigment was applied to the surface repeatedly to enhance the big cat’s spots.

Wood, metal studs, kaolin, early 20th century
Purchased with funds given by Dorothy M. Price, 2005.48 é