Fang/Kwele stool. Gabon, 20th century

Fang/Kwele stool. Gabon, 20th century.
Wood slightly patinated on the seat.
Measurements: 14 x 30 x 30 cm.

In the African culture the stool was an important element of the furniture of individual use that marked the social length of its owner. It was not borrowed under any circumstances but passed down from generation to generation.

The Fang are a mainly hunting ethnic group, although they also practice agriculture and cattle raising. Their social structure is based on the clan and the family. For a long time, the Fang were a people in constant migration, settling only for a few years in a particular place. Since they always lived primarily in the equatorial forests, they mainly used wood, bamboo and vegetable fibers for their sculpture. Possessing an extensive oral tradition, the basis of their customs and beliefs, the Fang developed a rich ritual sculpture. Artistically they are mainly known for their Byeri sculptures, related to the cult of the same name, which consists of the veneration of the ancestors by the system of preserving their remains in ritual vessels, carved in wood.