Cameroonian Stool / Side Table

Two zigzags and a lot of air. It looks heavier than it should, and lighter too.

This stool or side table comes from Cameroon, Central Africa, carved wood from the 20th century. Stools in Cameroon have long done more than support a person, often marking a sitter's rank and place in a household or court. Hoops carved in black run around the drum, with a rounded rail at the top and bottom. Between them, two wide bands of zigzag stand in openwork, over rows of short columns. The dark finish is soft, with small marks showing on the rims. Eighteen and a half inches high.

Light gets through. Most stools never bother.