Reclining Chair

In Burkina Faso, the chairs of male elders are often embellished with abstract motifs or stylized attributes of animals. This reclining chair suggests the form of a bush buffalo with four blocky legs, a swayed belly, characteristically curved horns, and floppy ears. When a person sits in the chair, the horns and ears give the appearance of a headdress and incorporate the sitter into the imagery of the intelligent, powerful animal. Incised linear patterns on the chair’s footrest and lower back, and the three sculpted slats in the center of the backrest add to the chair’s appeal.