Oromo Ladderback Chair with Cowhide Seat

Two crooked rungs, a hide seat and plenty of attitude.

Oromo makers of Ethiopia, East Africa, made this ladderback chair with a cowhide seat in wood and leather in the late 19th or early 20th century. Chairs with hide seats are commonly associated with household use in the region. Two rough, horizontal rails span the upright posts, each cut from a natural branch, one with a deep red tint. The seat is a flat panel of dark hide set between thick, short log legs bound at the corners.

About 36 inches high. Lean it against a wall and it quietly looks like sculpture.