Prestige stool (Kuo fo)

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.

Credit: Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund