Chinese Wood Stool: Barrel Form

Two dark knots on its side look out like a pair of very patient eyes.

This stool in barrel form is contemporary, from China, in elm wood. Barrel-shaped seats have a long history in Chinese gardens and interiors, where they appear in ceramic, stone and wood. This one is turned from elm into a rounded drum with flat top and base, its sides lightly faceted. The grain rings around a pair of knots at the center of one side, set off by a glossy reddish-brown finish. It is 13 inches long, 13 deep and 17.25 high.

It has been watching the room for some time now.