Gifts
African Tribal Stool Royal Collection Queen Elizabeth Ghana 1960s Mid Century Ghanaian Solid Wood Sculptural Ashanti Asante Adinkra
Warwick, United Kingdom
£7,000 per item
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Item details
Height
42.5 cm
Width
57.0 cm
Depth
35.0 cm
Wear conditions
Good
Wear conditions
Excellent
Shows little to no signs of wear and tear.
Good
May show slight traces of use in keeping with age. Most vintage and antique items fit into this condition.
Average
Likely to show signs of some light scratching and ageing but still remains in a fair condition.
Apparent Wear and Tear
Visible signs of previous use including scratches, chips or stains.
Please refer to condition report, images or make a seller enquiry for additional information.
Description
Treasured and admired by the British royals, this is a hugely significant, impressive and extremely rare Mid-Century Ghanaian Ashanti or Asante ceremonial stool in wonderful condition.
This stool is so remarkable because, apart from smaller decorative carvings, it is identical to the one presented to Queen Elizabeth II, which is currently on display in the Royal Collection - number RCIN 69194.
The marvellous carved design beneath the ‘seat’ is extremely rare and the only other one we have seen is the one owned by the late Queen. Wonderfully ornamental and extremely sturdy and heavy, this stool was carved out of a single piece of solid hardwood and features a stepped base beneath an organically carved Adinkra symbol for the 'Supremacy Of God', which supports a curved seat with intricate carvings to match the base.
These intricate carvings are the only variance from the stool owned by the Queen and now owned by King Charles III. You can see from the photos that the Queen’s stool has slightly less intricate border carvings to the seat and the base than this one, but we don’t know the significance of this.
However, the very helpful curator of the Royal Collection told us the following about the stool presented to the Queen:
"The stool is of traditional Asante form. Ceremonial stools of this kind are made by the Asante people for important chiefs and officeholders. They derive from the foremost symbol of the Asante kingdom, the Golden Stool, which according to tradition descended from heaven in the seventeenth century. It becoming the unifying political symbol or force for all Asante, and a central component of regalia. The divine stool was not used as a seat but instead was displayed on a chair of its own during court ceremonies.
“Today, important chiefs are commemorated by their stools, which are sometimes placed in a separate room or area of a room in honour of their memory. The stools are understood to be imbued with the spirit or essence of their owner (sunsum).
“The Royal Collection stool is unsigned, and no details about the maker were provided at the time of presentation. Our current provenance record suggests it was presented to Queen Elizabeth II in 1981; however, I believe this may be an error and that it was presented in 1961, as the late queen made a Commonwealth Visit to Ghana in that year. It was certainly made after 1960, when Ghana achieved independence, since the plaque refers to the Republic of Ghana. Therefore a production date of 1960-1981 is likely.
“The central carving beneath the seat is in the shape of an adinkra symbol called gye nyame, meaning ‘supremacy of god’. Adinkra symbols had originated among the Asante by the early nineteenth century. Several hundred symbols have been recorded, and each relates to a different concept or proverb. Many are drawn from popular sayings and folklore. The characters feature heavily in decorative embellishment and are traditionally also printed onto textiles using stamps made from dried calabash."
We feel honoured to have a limited ownership of this hugely significant, incredibly rare and wonderfully sculptured Ghanaian stool which has such a significant link to the British royal family.
Condition report:
This is in very good condition. Carved out of a single piece of wood, this is extremely solid, sturdy and structurally sound. Apart from a few minor knocks and bumps, which only add to its authentic vintage charm, it's in wonderful condition and if well looked after it should last for centuries to come - please see the photos.
Additional dimensions information:
Height - 42.5cm, Width - 57cm, Depth - 35cm, Seat Height - 34cm, Seat Width - 50cm, Seat Depth - 33.5cm, Weight - 9.5kg
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Estimated delivery time
Less than one week
Free collection available
Yes
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- Selling at Vinterior since 2022
- 55 sales
- Ships from Warwick, United Kingdom
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Cancellations and Returns
Last updated: 17th October 2024
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