Prestige stool (Kuo fo)

possibly 1800s

Africa, Central Africa, Cameroon, Bandjoun Kingdom, Bamileke makers

Medium

Wood, cotton, plant fiber, glass beads, and indigo

Measurements

Overall: 51 x 38 x 43 cm (20 1/16 x 14 15/16 x 16 15/16 in.)

Credit Line

Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 2006.138

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Location

Not on view

Did You Know?

The beads on this stool were sewn on by hand. Look underneath the stool, however, and you can see commercially made printed fabric.

Description

Bead-covered wooden stools and thrones are one of the most prevalent art forms among the various kingdoms and chiefdoms in the Cameroon Grassfields region. This example, once part of the royal treasury, belongs in the category of "travel stools," usually used in conjunction with more private, minor ceremonies and rituals at the palace. The leopard imagery confirms the object’s royal status. It alludes to the belief that the king could temporarily transform himself into this feared predator.