Dogon Wood Ladder, Mali, Based

Tall, narrow and elegantly crooked, like a figure caught mid-stride.

Made in Mali, West Africa, by Dogon carvers in the early 20th century, this wooden ladder follows the traditional form of a single forked trunk with stepped notches. Such ladders are commonly associated with access to granaries and rooftops. The two prongs flare wide at the top, while the trunk bends and narrows to a knuckled base. The surface is a deep, even gray-brown with a soft sheen and long, thin cracks running down the grain, set on a black stand.

About 62 inches tall. Gives any corner some height and some history.