Inkosi means ‘chief’ or ‘king’ in Ndbele, a language spoken in Zimbabwe and north-eastern South Africa.

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As such, the Inkosi chair pays tribute to the rich and highly complex world of African traditional art associated with royalty: the thrones of kings in sub-Saharan Africa were often decorated with a rich mosaic of colored glass beads, which were a rarity, and thus were a valuable ornament reserved to kings and aristocrats. Made with Japanese glass beads that adorn a no. 16 Thonet Chair, the Inkosi Chair was crafted in collaboration with a New York-based Zimbabwean artist.

 

Inkosi is part of the the Metamorphosis Series, where Francis Assadi takes the Thonet No.16 chair and transforms it into a new and vibrant work of art and design.

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All of the chairs of the Metamorphosis series are one-of-a-kind/collector's pieces

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| Handcrafted in Yonkers, NY |