Gurage Wood House Post

A post that has seen a long run of seasons, by the record.

Gurage builders of Ethiopia, East Africa, made this house post in wood, dated in the record to the mid 18th century. Such posts are commonly associated with the structure of the home itself, bearing weight rather than ornament. Browner and more weathered than its companions, it rises as a long thin shaft with a slight bow along its length. The grain is open and the finish dry, with darker streaks running up the surface.

About 122 inches tall. Spare, vertical, and quietly older than the room around it.