This stool masterfully illustrates the preoccupation with the aesthetics of bovine forms shared by pastoral peoples of the Upper Nile region in Sudan. The form is "probably suggested by the shapes of the animals, something in each design resembling the head, limbs and tail," as noted by Captain S. L. Cummins, a British medical officer who served in Sudan at the turn of the century.
If they do echo an animal form, the feet of this stool can be interpreted as an artistic rendition of hooves and fetlocks, while the lugs at each end of the seat may evoke the head and tail. In this stool, one finds a perfect integration of both types of supports: the shallow, receptive curve of the thin seat is gracefully counterbalanced by the tighter curve of the sturdy legs.In the late 19th century, such stools were found in every household and used exclusively by women. An early writer, Schweinfurth, tells us that stools were “used by women…but avoided by men, who regarded every raised seat as an effeminate luxury.” These stools were also used as headrests.
Gorgeous dark, glossy patina and one of the finest extant examples of a Bongo stool.
#11119H: 6 1/2" L: 13 1/2"ex Budrose Collection, USA
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