非洲大陆是一个神秘的土地,它特殊的地理环境,造就了栖居在这块土地上的人们与众不同的生活方式和独特的文明。非洲的艺术品无论精美还是朴素,都与生活有直接联系,涉及到生活中的方方面面,部落首领的仪式、男子的工作和社交、妇女的家务活动以及儿童的嬉戏等。家具既是主要生活物品,又是艺术品,更是身份和等级的象征,因此,虽然非洲室内家具的种类不是很多,但每一类甚至每一件家具都有其特殊的含义。 一、理解非洲土著家具,首先要了解非洲土著审美观念。 非洲人认为他们制造的任何一件物品——一把椅子、一个碗、一件武器,或一件织物都反映出手艺人对于创造美好事物的特殊的灵感,他们不满意仅创造出具有功能的物品,认为它同时必须具备美的品质,以此来满足手艺人的骄傲并取悦客户。即使是简单的物品也要选择漂亮的色彩进行图绘、加以雕刻进行装饰。(图1)这一点可以从非洲的建筑形式和外部特征上表现出来。 十五世纪,马里皇帝的宫殿里闪耀着金子般的光芒,甚至可以与基督教的君主的宫殿室内相媲美。而普通的房屋甚至谷仓,在结构部件上也尽量运用各种手段装饰。例如(图2)中的黍米谷仓的门,其雕刻形式经常出现在加蓬地区的门饰上,一排排延长的人形代表神话或祖先崇拜,最下端是日常生活的场景。这种雕刻技 The continent of Africa is a mystical land whose special geographical environment creates a distinctive way of life and a unique civilization that inhabit this land. Whether fine or simple, African works of art are directly related to life and involve all aspects of life, tribal chiefs’ ceremonies, men’s work and social work, women’s housework and children’s playfulness. Furniture is both a major item of life and a work of art. It is also a symbol of identity and rank. Therefore, although there are not many types of furniture in the interior of Africa, each type or even every piece of furniture has its own special meaning. First, understand the indigenous furniture in Africa, we must first understand the concept of indigenous African soil. Africans think that any item they make - a chair, a bowl, a weapon, or a piece of fabric, reflects the special inspiration of artisans for creating good things that they are not satisfied with to create only functional items , Think it must also have the quality of the United States, in order to meet the pride of craftsmen and please customers. Even simple objects have to choose the beautiful colors to be painted, carved for decoration. (Figure 1) This can be seen from the architectural form and external characteristics of Africa. In the fifteenth century, the palace of the Emperor Mali shone with gold as a light, comparable to that of a Christian monarch’s palace. Ordinary houses and even barns, in the structural components also try to use a variety of means of decoration. For example, the door of millet barn in Fig. 2 is engraved on the door trim of Gabon. The rows of extended human figures represent the myths or ancestor worship. The bottom is the scene of everyday life. This carving skill