Akan Wood Stool, Ghana

A seat that is mostly a curve, with a plinth for good manners.

Akan carvers of Ghana, West Africa, made this stool in wood in the 20th century. Carved stools are associated with Akan status and identity, and their designs are often read as proverbs or emblems. The seat dips between two upswept ends, and the stem is an openwork motif of a circle with a stepped, scalloped column inside it. The whole rests on a flat oblong base edged with small incised triangles. The wood is dark and polished, warmed by handling.

About eleven and a half inches tall and eighteen wide. Low, wide and quietly regal beside a sofa.