Burkinabé Mossi Stool

Carved in Burkina Faso from a single piece of wood, this hundred-year-old stool was used by Mossi women as they sat before a cooking fire. The chair’s simple, four-legged design designates it as a woman’s stool, whereas men’s stools are crafted with three legs and a reclined profile intended for lounging. Both styles reveal the beauty of the wood, showcased here in the stool’s broad, rectangular seat. Handed down for generations among family members, the seat has developed rich depth of color and a lustrous patina.