Ashanti Wood Stool, Ghana

Sawtooth columns and triangle marks frame an upright central panel

This stool is Ashanti, from Ghana, West Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is wood. Many stool designs illustrate Ashanti proverbs, of which there are more than 3,600, and the meaning of a carved image was sometimes left open to interpretation, inviting discussion among the people. A stool with a deeply curved seat, two serrated pillars and a center post incised with rows of small triangles. The base is a long flat rectangle with fine incised lines. The finish is warm reddish brown with a satiny finish. It is 18 inches long, 9 deep and 11 high.

Neatly cut, sharply patterned and confidently balanced on its base.