Ashanti Wood Stool, Ghana

A seat for one, and a quiet reminder of who sits where.

Ashanti carvers of Ghana, West Africa, made this stool in wood in the 20th century. Carved stools are commonly associated with Akan households, where they can signify status and are often kept personal. The seat curves like a shallow saddle above a central pierced column, flanked by two thick supports with scalloped edges. All of it rises from a flat rectangular base, and the surface has gone a deep, even brown with a soft sheen.

About 14 inches high and 25 inches wide. It works as a low table, a perch or a sculpture, and refuses to be only one of them.