Cameroonian Wood Stool

A figure holds up the seat, and has been for a while.

Cameroonian carvers of Central Africa carved this wooden stool in the 20th century. Figural stools are commonly associated with chiefly status in the Grassfields region. Here a seated figure with a rounded head and bent knees supports a flat, circular seat, resting inside a wide ring that forms the base. The face is fine and expressive with bulging eyes. The wood is a dark brown with an oily, hand-rubbed sheen and subtle wear along the base.

About 13 inches in height and width. Good company, if somewhat silent.