Bamileke Stool with 2 Rows of Linked or Dancing Figures

Two rows of figures, linked at the waist and going nowhere fast.

This stool with two rows of linked or dancing figures is carved wood, Bamileke, from Cameroon in Central Africa, 20th century. Figured stools were closely tied to the courts and titled men of the Bamileke, and rows of joined figures may suggest dance or community, though readings differ. The figures stand one tier above the other, each with a carved face and bent arms, held together by a waving band. The dark wood has a deep shine. A plain round seat and ring base hold them in. Twenty inches high and twenty-seven and a half across.

The seat is the one quiet place in the whole arrangement.