Chieftain's stool from Cameroon

Dating back to the late 1870s and 80s, this unique, so-called chieftain's stool, was used by the dignitaries of Douala (a group of Bantu-speaking people living in the areas on the Bight of Biafra). A characteristic feature of such items are decorative elements – supports (caryatids) hold the bent, concave seat in the middle. The almost mandatory decorative elements are carved figures of animals: lions, leopards, snakes or birds. Stools were used during ceremonies and audiences. They remained an…

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