A fine and rare Dan anthropomorphic ritual stool

of refined proportions overall, the lower portion in the form of the nude lower half of a female body with wedge-shaped feet, beautifully rounded calves decorated with elegant curvilinear scarification, the bent, faceted knees and thighs leading to rounded buttocks and supporting the flared platform with faceted sides and iron strips inserted; '757' at the foot; exceptionally fine blackened and slightly glossy patina.

William Wright, New York, December 13, 1978

De Ridder 1981: 11
Bastin 1984: 146, figure 122
Robbins and Nooter 1989: 540, figure 1449

Stools showing the nude lower half of a female's body as support of the seat count among the rarest objects of Dan art. Apart from the present example only two other are recorded: one in the collection of the Musée Royal de l'Afrique Centrale, Tervuren (Bocola 1994: 60, number 28); and another one sold at Ader Picard Tajan, Paris, May 21, 1990, lot 49, collected in the early 1950s by Don Bosco for the Bediat Collection. The Brill stool is unique in that the legs are not resting on a platform but standing free.

Little is known about the function of these stools. In general, they seem too small for daily use as something to sit on. Instead, their function almost certainly has to be located in the ritual context, a speculation confirmed with regard to the Brill stool by the presence of numerous metal blades in the 'seat'.

Siegmann (personal communication 10/12/2006) notes: 'The Dan and their western neighbors, the Mano, traditionally made stools that were basically in the form of an hour glass. They often had geometric ornamentation similar to the designs found on their more common wooden or ceramic bowls. An example in the collection of the Musée Royal de l'Afrique Centrale, Tervuren, also shows the nude lower half of a female body. Neither of these pieces were collected with information on their original ownership or use. One hypothesis has been suggested that these stools were used in the context of male circumcision rites and that the boy’s undergoing circumcision would sit on the stool. Though no evidence exists to support this theory it seems plausible since the fact that the torsos of both stools are nude suggests that the stools were used in a ritual rather than secular and public context. It seems possible, however, that these stools might alternatively have been used for female circumcision. The multiple bits of metal in the seat of this stool are typical of “sacrifices” often placed in Dan stools which serve to magically protect the individual sitting on it from malevolent forces, another factor that would be consistent with the use of the stools in a ritual context.'

The depiction of female legs is a Leitmotiv in Dan iconography, to be found from wakede ladles over combs to ritual implements like the present example. Beautiful female legs are perceived as signs of healthyness, stamina and fertility. Their presence in sculptural works may thus be interpreted as an allusion to the high rank of women in Dan society. Interesting is that in the case of wakede laddles the female genitalia are not indicated whereas in the case of the Brill stool and his two 'siblings'  these are pronounced. This could be a further hint to their use during female circumcision rituals and support Siegmann's second hypothesis.