Ashanti Stool with Christian Figural Motifs

A tiny praying figure sits in a window beneath a curved plank seat

This stool with Christian figural motifs is Ashanti, from Ghana, West Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is wood. The Ashanti kingdom was founded in 1701, and by legend a golden stool descended from heaven to symbolize the soul of the people, a sacred object protected ever since. A stool with a swooping seat carved with a few small dot marks. Two sawtooth side pillars frame an open space where a small figure with folded hands is seated. A base with diamond-shaped latticework supports it. Warm brown tone. It is 22 inches long, 11 deep and 13 high.

A very small congregation, seated in a very large frame.