Cameroonian Wood Stool

One block of wood. Then the carver took most of it away.

Carvers in the Grassfields kingdoms of western Cameroon are known for openwork stools cut from a single block, a technique that demands great control. This one, carved in the 20th century, stands seventeen inches tall. The circular seat is slightly dished with a thick rounded rim, set over a matching disc-shaped base. Between them the body swells into a barrel form carved as an open lattice of small interlocking blocks, in staggered rows like a woven basket.

The wood is a deep, even brown, with a soft sheen on the seat from long use and small checks in places.

It looks woven. It is not.