Manteña Chair of Power Cachique of Prehispanic Ecuador 900 AD

About the Item

The chair has been carved from a block of rock These stone chairs are usually classified according to the iconographic motif carved in the support of the seat, dividing mainly into two groups, anthropomorphic and zoomorphic –or zooanthropomorphic, since they represent variations that combine animal traits, generally felines, with the human being– Our chair corresponds to the second type, with a pedestal in the shape of a zoomorphic feline. The feline is represented crouching, flexing arms and legs knees and elbows. The upper part of the chair – the ‘U’ shaped seat – is superimposed on the back, head and shoulders of the figure. The way to place the seat on the full body marks the difference between this specimen and others also anthropomorphic, in which said seat is load only on the head, arranging an intermediate padding element carved between the seat and back of the figure. As a consequence, in this case the head remains embedded and sunk between two powerful shoulders that protrude with rounded shapes at the same height than that one In these sculptures, more attention has been paid to the face than to the rest of the morphology. of the body, so the figure does not usually keep anatomical proportionality. does not seem to exist nor is it a stable rule when it comes to placing the seat on the figure, some are more back than others on the back of the character that supports it, and the depth of the seat is also quite variable. Of course, what characterizes the seat is the 'U' shape, and that most of the chairs have horizontal lateral extensions at the ends of these arms, forming a right angle. These extensions have been interpreted as armrests. In general, In addition, the shape of the 'U' is wider at the base and narrows towards the upper end, as can be seen in the profile of this chair The chairs in the context of the Manteño-Huancavilca culture The Manteño-Huancavilca culture developed on the south-central coast of Ecuador, between the Bay of Caráquez and the island of Puná10, during the Integration period . Saville (1907) to early 20th century, Jijón y Caamaño (1997), Bushnell (1951) or Emilio Estrada (1957, 1962), among others, are outlining through some initial archaeological excavations the features that define to this culture. In it, two groups are differentiated, the manteños to the north and the huancavilcas to the south, with certain common cultural traits and other particular or differentiating ones. And among the latter precisely the use of carved stone as a feature of the Manteños stands out -the group from the north–, to whom therefore the so-called chairs belong. To this could be added characteristic of the north the iconography of the feline, the abundance of figurines and graters or the burial compared to burial in urns, more typical of the huancavilcas. As suggested by McEwan , the chairs with feline images correspond to religious power. Title: Chair of power. Object: Ceremonial chair carved in stone, with a U-shaped seat, supported by a crouching ZOOMORPHIC figure. Typology: Lithic sculpture. Culture: Manteña (Manabi, Ecuador). Dimensions: 43X36X23CM Technique: Carving on stone block, sawn with cord. Use/Function: Ritual, ceremonial. Provenance: Collection Dr. Professor: Udo Oberem (1923-1986) On November 24, 1986, Udo Oberem died suddenly and unexpectedly in Bonn, just before his 63rd birthday. The deceased was a number professor of ethnology — with special regard for Americanist studies („Alt-Amerikanistik") - at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Bonn and director of the Institute of Anthropology Cultural. Another similar chair can be found at: Musée du Quai Branly Biography: Manteña chairs from pre-Hispanic Ecuador Study, restoration and analysis of a chair stone in the Museum of America Andrés Gutiérrez Usillos (scientific editor) Museum of America. Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport.

Dimensions:

Height: 14.18 in (36 cm)Width: 9.06 in (23 cm)Depth: 16.93 in (43 cm)

Materials and Techniques:

Stone

Period:

15th Century and Earlier

Date of Manufacture:

900

Condition:

Seller Location:

Madrid, ES

Reference Number: