Ashanti Chiefs Stool with Pineapple Motif

A curved seat hovers over a pierced central drum, all dressed in studs

This chiefs stool with pineapple motif is Ashanti, from Ghana, West Africa, and dates to the early 20th century. It is carved & embossed wood & metal. The Ashanti traditionally believed a person's soul inhabited his or her stool, so stools not in use were tilted on their sides to keep other spirits from taking up residence. A low stool with a concave seat carved with a round motif at the center. Two serrated columns flank a hollow drum with a lattice of openings. The surface is covered in a studded, shiny brown surface, above a rectangular base. It is 33 inches wide, 16 deep and 26 high.

Plenty of bling for something designed to be sat on.