Bamileke Stool with One Row of Figures

The Grassfields kingdoms reserved certain stools for chiefs and notable titleholders. This is one of them.

Bamileke, Cameroon, 20th century, carved with a single row of figures. A ring of standing men supports it, wearing tall crested headdresses, each grasping a vertical staff. Sashes and cords pass between their hands, and at the center of one side a small woven basket hangs near the ground.

The men stand on a rolled ring base beneath a broad, dished seat, thirty-four and a half inches across. The wood has a dark, even patina, polished on the seat from use.

Figural stools were symbols of rank. Treat it accordingly.