Object Details
- Label Text
- All Asante stools have the same basic form, with variations in the central support. Carved with the grain running horizontally, a central column rises from a stepped base to support a curved rectangular seat. An openwork central support flanked by four legs is common. Certain abstract designs with proverbial meanings, as well as supports in the form of a leopard or elephant, signified royal powers. This stool belonged to a commoner for everyday purposes. So associated was a personal stool with the owner's spirit that only the owner would sit on it, and when not in use it would be tipped on its side. For certain important individuals, a libation-blackened stool would become the focus of a family shrine after the person's death. All stools are a faint reminder of the Golden Stool, the gold-leaf stool that is never sat upon but which contains the spirit of the Asante kingdom.
- Description
- Wood stool with rectangular seat and base, central cylindrical support with two rows of diamond patterns with triangular cut outs, four flat rectangular legs with loops on outer side and overall light golden brown color.
- Provenance
- African trader, Liberia, -- to 1965-1967
- Robert and Nancy Nooter, Washington, D.C., 1965-1967 to 1981
- Content Statement
- As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
- Image Requests
- High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
- Data Source
- National Museum of African Art
- Maker
- Asante artist
- Date
- Mid-20th century
- Credit Line
- Gift of Robert and Nancy Nooter
- Medium
- Wood
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 27.4 x 46.1 x 21.3 cm (10 13/16 x 18 1/8 x 8 3/8 in.)
- Type
- Decorative Arts
