Ethiopian Bench with Plaited Leather Seat

Late nineteenth century, perhaps early twentieth, Ethiopia. The bench is where the day happens.

In Ethiopian homes, low benches and beds strung with leather thongs gave seating by day and rest by night, the woven seat firm yet flexible. This one runs just over six feet. The straight back rail carries a continuous band of painted diamonds and zigzags, green over reddish-brown wood, framed by squared posts, with a low armrest at one end.

Plaited leather forms an open lattice across four sturdy, tapering legs. The paint is softly worn, and the wood shows through where it has been.

Sit down. Nothing urgent is happening.