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Museum object · Decorative Arts, Craft, and Design

Uneasy Lies the Head that Wears the Crown (Prototype)

2020

Miami, Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, North and Central America

COLLECTION RECORDImage not availableExplore the catalog description and source record.
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Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

Prototype porch chair from a series titled “Uneasy Lies the Head that Wears the Crown,” by Germane Barnes. The chair consists of a seat (a) with a comb chairback (b) and is primarily composed of natural and painted wood and metal. The wooden chairback is designed to resemble an Afro pick with seven, elongated teeth that extent downwards, terminating just above the floor. The chair features a comb shaft neck rest/backrest with a double, stacked, semicircular design. The headrest is a small semicircle connected to the backrest at the bottom center with a small, square cutout. The backrest is also semicircular in shape but is squared on the left and right sides over the chair legs. The front and back of the backrest is a natural light wood color with a darker wood grain.

Sources & collection details

Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture — original record ↗

Source collection ↗

Catalog metadata · CC0 · Source checked 2026-10-13

Catalog reference: 2022.84.1ab

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