Elephant stool ·  Ghana, Ashanti · ID: 3039022

Description

heavy light brown wood, rectangular plate, supporting elements arranged in two levels: “classic” board-like struts, surmounted by a stylized elephant, min. dam., cracks, small missing parts, traces of usage;
“osono”, the elephant symbolically supports the seat of this stool with his power and strength. In former times this image was restricted to Chiefs, symbolizing their attributes of power and authority. Known as “esondua”, this stool is linked to a series of proverbs relating to the size, strength and grandeur of the elephant as the most powerful animal in the forest.

Comparing literature

Aspects, Akan Cultures in Ghana, Den Haag 2001, p. 68, ill. 43