This small figurative three-legged stool or platform derives from the Morogoro region of Tanzania, and would have been used by traditional healers as an implement during ceremonial healing practices. A small indentation in the centre of the platform would have balanced a calabash containing medicines.
Surmounting the stool is a carved female figure with an encrusted surface patina. She stands in an upright stance, with both hands resting on her navel. A typical Zaramo hairstyle, consisting of a central band with three striations, adorns the top of her head. Running down the length of the hairstyle is a series of punctuated dots. The figure is further decorated with a necklace of early glass beads.
Ex Private Collection, UK
Estimated Period: 1940’s
D: 17cm
(Click on images to enlarge)
