Fowler collections are rich in domestic implements and household furnishings from around the world that reflect imaginative formal solutions to the design of otherwise functional objects. The various objects shown here from East and Central Africa, Borneo, and New Guinea reveal the love for beauty in daily routines. From kitchen hooks to trinket boxes, from baby carriers to chairs, these objects enhanced daily life and household chores through their elegance and meaning.
Container
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Mangbetu/Zande peoples
Late 19th-early 20th century
Wood, bark, plant fiber, string
Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of the Wellcome Trust. X65.5471a,b
Object Name: Chair
Artist: Unknown
Culture: Chokwe peoples
Place of Origin: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Date/Era: 19th century
Dimensions: H: 64.0 cm, W: 26.5 cm, D: 28.5 cm (H: 25.2 in, W: 10.4 in, D: 11.2 in)
Medium/Materials: Wood, leather, brass
Credit Line: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of the Wellcome Trust.
Accession Number: X65.8514
Object Name: Baby carrier (ba’)
Artist: Unknown
Culture: Bahau Dayak peoples
Place of Origin: East Kalimantan [Borneo], Indonesia
Date/Era: Mid-20th century
Medium/Materials: Wood, shell, plant fiber
Dimensions: H: 31.2 cm, W: 44.3 cm, D: 15.0 cm (H: 12.2 in, W: 17.4 in, D: 5.9 in)
Credit Line: Fowler Museum at UCLA. The Jerome L. Joss Collection.
Accession Number: X85.1076
Object Name: Suspension hook
Artist: Unknown
Culture: Iatmul peoples
Place of Origin: East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea
Date/Era: 19th century
Medium/Materials: Wood, cowrie shell, plant fiber
Dimensions: H: 41 cm
Credit Line: Fowler Museum at UCLA.
Accession Number: X87.375
Object Name: Chair of power (kiti cha enzi)
Artist: Unknown
Culture: Swahili peoples
Place of Origin: Zanzibar, Tanzania
Date/Era: 1989
Medium/Materials: Wood, ivory, string
Dimensions: H: 123.0 cm (H: 48.4 in)
Credit Line: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Steve and Linda Nelson.
Accession Number: X89.367