French Tripod Stool

Found in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, this early 20th-century French bobbin stool was hand-turned from solid oak and carved with concentric circles on the seat, a small flourish on a piece otherwise built for daily use. The three legs were shaped one bobbin at a time on a foot-powered lathe, a method already old by the time this was made. Stools like this lived in countryside kitchens and were pulled close to the hearth, used as a perch for shelling beans, a step for reaching the high shelves, or a side table for a glass of wine when the cook sat down. Sylvie places it next to a bath with a folded linen towel and a glass of something cold, or by the fire with a book and whoever else lives in the house.

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