From Africa to Quai Branly: Histories of the Collections
Seat
Akan / AnyiCôte d’Ivoire
1978
Gilde73.1978.2.6
d wood
Gift of Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, former French president
Paris, Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac
Inv.
This seat is what is known as a diplomatic gift, which is a very ancient tradition between heads of state. This particular stool was presented to French president Valéry Giscard d’Estaing in January 1978 during his official visit to Félix Houphouët-Boigny, the president of Côte d’Ivoire.
Created especially for the occasion, the stool is by no means an insignificant gift. For the Akan peoples, this type of seat is linked to royal power. Its history is rooted in myth; a similar form of seat is said to have descended from the heavens and landed in the lap of Osei Tutu, the founder and first king of the Asante kingdom, who was crowned in 1695 and reigned until 1717. This important symbol of power may be ornamented either with metal or with gold leaf, depending on the status of its owner.