Bamileke Children's Bed

A bed for a child, thirteen inches off the floor. Nobody falls far.

This children's bed is the work of the Bamileke people of Cameroon and dates to the 20th century. It is wood. Openwork carving is a hallmark of the Cameroon Grassfields, where Bamileke artists have applied it to stools, posts and thrones. The long side is a lattice of interlocked diamond shapes, pierced clean through. A solid rounded block closes each end. The top plank undulates gently along its length, and the surface is a dry grey-brown. Sixty-two inches long and thirteen high.

Light passes through the side. So, one suspects, would a dropped toy.