Ethiopian Armchair with Plaited Leather Seat

Someone shaped these legs by hand, and wanted you to know it.

This armchair was made in Ethiopia, East Africa, in the early 20th century, from wood and plaited leather. Leather-strip seating is a long-established technique across East Africa, prized for being light, tough and easy to repair. The frame is spare, with flat horizontal back slats and broad, flat arms, but the front legs swell into carved knuckles and ringed collars before tapering to rounded feet. A taut weave of pale leather fills the seat against the dark, dry wood, which is smooth and worn where arms and hands have rested.

About 37 inches tall. Better company than most accent chairs, and far less rehearsed.