Cameroonian Wood Stool

One leg is nearly a pillar, and the seat gleams like water.

This 20th century stool is from Cameroon, Central Africa, and was made in wood. Carved stools of this kind commonly serve as seats and as signs of a person’s standing in the household. The seat is broad and shallow, the rim slightly split at one edge. Three heavy, curved legs, swelling at their feet, hold it steady. The wood is a deep brown, darker toward the rim, with a worn, smooth top.

About 15 inches tall, 17 across. A solid stool with plenty of presence.