Throne/Stool

Possibly Johann Gustav Friedrich Umlauff (1833-1889), Hamburg, Germany, by 1889 [1];

Probably with the dealer Boris Kegel-Konietzko (1925-2020), Hamburg, Germany;

Probably purchased from Kegel-Konietzko by the dealer Marc Leo Félix, Brussels, Belgium, no. FC90350, 1990-November 1994 [2];

Purchased from Félix by Donald (1927-2007) and Sally (1930-2017) Tranin, Kansas City, MO, no. 129, December 24, 1994;

By descent to their son, Ed Tranin, Leawood, KS, and their daughter, Laura Tranin, Seattle, WA, by 2013;

Their gift to The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 2013.

NOTES:

[1] According to Marc Leo Félix, in documentation provided at the time of the object’s purchase, NAMA curatorial files, the number ‘0459’ inscribed on the back of the figure’s head is an old inventory number from the Umlauff Museum. Founded by Johann Gustav Friedrich Umlauff (1833-1889) in 1869, the Umlauff Museum (also called the Umlauff Kaufhaus) operated until 1943 under the direction of Johann Gustav Friedrich’s son, Johannes Umlauff (1874-1951).

[2] According to Félix (see note 1), he purchased this stool from a member of the Konietzko family. According to the African Heritage Documentation & Research Centre database, www.ahdrc.eu, the Umlauff family sold their business to Lore Konietzko after World War II. Konietzko ran Lore Konietzko Exotische Kunst, which she later renamed Lore Kegel Exotische Kunst following her divorce from Julius Konietzko (1886-1952) and marriage to Dr. Georg Kegel (1898-1974). She renamed the business again – to Kegel and Konietzko – when her son, Boris Kegel-Konietzko (1925-2020), joined the company. Félix most likely purchased this stool from Boris Kegel-Konietzko, who took possession of his mother’s company in 1964, although it is unclear whether the stool was part of the company’s stock, or the Kegel-Konietzko private collection.