Oromo Chair with Cowhide Seat & Back

Dark leather, pale scars and legs like fence posts.

This chair of wood and cowhide is the work of Oromo makers of Ethiopia, East Africa, from the late 19th or early 20th century. Hide-seated chairs are commonly associated with household use. The leather has aged to deep chocolate brown, stretched across a slim back panel and shallow seat. Small pegs mark the frame corners. The legs are thick, round and slightly uneven, and the whole frame leans a little with age.

About 33 inches high. It looks best in a room that does not try too hard.