Congolese Wood Textile Hanger

It was made for the hand, and it still sits there well.

This carved wooden textile hanger, Republic of Congo, 20th century, once served to hang and present cloth, and its ornamental end gave each maker room to be himself. Twenty-six inches long, with a gently swelling, spindle-like shaft that thickens toward the middle and tapers to a rounded tip. At one end, a lozenge-shaped finial incised with a crossing line, above a finely beaded collar. The deep brown wood is dark and glossy from use, nicked here and there.

Shorter and fuller than most. Pick it up. Everyone does.