Fon Wood Medicine Pounder, Based

Tall, tapered and carried a long way from the kitchen.

Fon makers of Togo, West Africa, carved this medicine pounder in wood in the 20th century. Long pestles like this are commonly associated with grinding herbs and other preparations in the Fon region, and sometimes with ritual specialists. The shaft swells from a slim, glossy reddish neck to a heavy butt end, with a shallow incised band around the middle and faint carved marks on the body. The surface is a worn grey-brown, smooth where hands once held it. It stands on a small black base.

About 37 inches tall. Taller than most lamps, and with better stories.