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Throne of Weapons

Throne of Weapons is a sculpture by Cristóvão Canhavato, also known as Kester, made from decommissioned weapons and displayed at the British Museum. It was one of the 100 objects featured in the BBC radio series A History of the World in 100 Objects and has been described as the museum’s most expressive object. The throne includes the artist’s signature, termite traces, and details such as smiling faces on the weapons and a face found in the shape of a rifle butt. It was created through the organization Transforming Arms into Tools, which supplied deactivated weapons to Kester and his group. The arms used include AK-47s, G3s, an AKM, and a PPSh-43, many linked to Mozambique’s civil war.

Throne of Weapons sculpture made from rusted gun parts and firearm components.
Throne of Weapons, a chair-like sculpture assembled from rusted firearm parts.
December 2007 © · CC BY-SA 2.0
Throne of Weapons sculpture made from rusty gun parts and rifle stocks
The Throne of Weapons sculpture assembled from corroded firearms and metal components.
December 2007 © · CC BY-SA 2.0
Throne of Weapons sculpture made from rusted firearm parts, with two rifle forms and arched magazines creating stylized faces.
Throne of Weapons, a sculpture assembled from heavily rusted gun components.
December 2007 © · CC BY-SA 2.0
Close-up of the Throne of Weapons made from heavily corroded firearms, with one gun’s muzzle and wooden stock prominent in the foreground.
A close-up view of Throne of Weapons, showing the sculpture’s corroded firearms assembled into a larger form.
December 2007 © · CC BY-SA 2.0
Close-up of Throne of Weapons made from rusted firearms and corroded metal parts behind glass.
A close-up detail of Throne of Weapons, showing its assembly of rusted firearms and welded metal parts.
December 2007 © · CC BY-SA 2.0

Identification

TitleThrone of Weapons
TypeSculpture / throne
Original-language titleO Trono de Armas
Alternative titleWaffenthron

Creator

ArtistCristóvão Estavão Canhavato (Kester)
Birth year1966
Birth placeZavala, southern Mozambique
AffiliationAssociação Núcleo de Arte artists' cooperative, Maputo
TrainingReceived artistic training in a collective of artists; he already had knowledge of construction engineering
Supporting organizationsChristian Aid and a Christian initiative led by Bishop Dinis Sengulane
Associated projectTransforming Arms into Ploughshares / Transformação de Armas em Enxadas

Historical context

End of civil warThe war ended when the Soviet Union collapsed and funding stopped
Civil war casualtiesAbout one million people were killed
Civil war fundingFinanced by South Africa and Rhodesia, involving émigrés from their apartheid regimes
ContextMade in response to Mozambique's civil war

Discovery and provenance

Created2002
Acquired byThe British Museum in 2002
Transport to EnglandBrought to England by Christian Aid as part of the exhibition Swords into Ploughshares. Transforming Arms into Art (German: Schwerter zu Pflugscharen. Transformation von Waffen in Kunst)
Brokered byJulia Fairrie of Christian Aid
Included inA History of the World in 100 Objects (BBC and British Museum), broadcast from 2010

Materials

Backrest materialG3 assault rifles designed by Heckler & Koch in Germany and manufactured in Portugal
Seat materialWeapons manufactured in Poland and Czechoslovakia
Front materialA North Korean-made AKM rifle and a PPSh-43 submachine gun
Weapon types usedMostly AK-47 assault rifles; also G3 assault rifles, an AKM rifle, and a PPSh-43 submachine gun
Weapon originsManufactured in Portugal, Eastern Europe, North Korea, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Germany
Main materialDecommissioned firearms and other weapons
Weapon sourceSupplied by Transforming Arms into Ploughshares / Transformação de Armas em Enxadas

Appearance

Design elementThe backrest has a gothic shape resembling the entrance portal of a Gothic church
Surface tracesHoles and marks remain from where carrying straps had been attached
Figurative detailsSmiling faces were added to the weapons
Hidden face detailA human face at the upper end of the right-hand rifle butt, described by the artist as 'found' rather than made, formed by the remains of holes and strap marks
SignatureThe throne bears the artist's signature; curators also interpreted termite marks as an additional 'signature'
Termite marksTermite damage is visible and was described by curators as an additional 'signature'

Iconography and meaning

Personal contextThe artist said several of his relatives were killed by such weapons
Kofi Annan statementHe asked how such weapons were obtained to kill each other, noting that they do not manufacture weapons and sometimes do not have money to buy them
Church referenceThe gothic backrest is intended to symbolize a church
Mozambique flag referenceThe AK-47 motif is significant because an AK-47, a hoe, a book, and a star appear on the flag of Mozambique
SymbolismTransforms decommissioned weapons into art; in Africa, chairs can also symbolize authority

Location and ownership

OwnerThe British Museum
LocationBritish Museum

History and restoration

Exhibition historyTouring exhibit loaned by the British Museum and shown in schools, shopping centres, museums, cathedrals, community spaces, and prisons across the United Kingdom, as well as internationally
Display frequencyShown in more exhibition variants than any other object in the British Museum, according to museum descriptions
Related workTree of Life, commissioned from the same artist group in 2005 and displayed in the museum's main gallery from February 2005

Significance

Museum descriptionDescribed by the British Museum as its most 'eloquent object'