Prestige stool (Kuo fo)
Unknown Artist
possibly 1800s
Medium
Wood, cotton, plant fiber, glass beads, and indigo
Dimensions
{"overall":{"height":0.51,"width":0.38,"depth":0.43}}
Classification
Furniture and woodwork
Department
African Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund
Accession Number
2006.138
About this artwork
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.