Clover Form Stone Drum

Marked by expressive veining, this handsome stool was carved in China’s Shanxi province out of a piece of solid limestone. Ribbed and rounded, the stool suggests a melon, an ancient Chinese symbol of perpetuity. A pattern of boss-head nails ringing both its top and bottom imitates those used to stretch a skin on an actual drum. Traditionally used as a place to rest one’s feet, a stool like this may have originally been nestled among the trees and flowers in a traditional Chinese garden. We also enjoy it as a small side table indoors or out.