Stool (seat)
A raised seat without armrests or backrest, among the earliest furniture.
A stool is a raised seat, usually with three or four legs, and no armrests or backrest. Early stools were typically made of wood and designed for one person. As one of the oldest types of seating, stools are occasionally called backless chairs, even though some modern versions do include a backrest. Folding stools can be made flat and compact, often by rotating the seat parallel to legs that fold up.
The exact origins of stools are unclear, but they are recognized as some of the earliest wooden furniture. Ancient Egyptians used them as seats and later as footrests. In Ancient Greece, the diphros was a four-legged stool made in both fixed and folding forms. According to Percy Macquoid, the turned stool reached Europe from Byzantium through the Varangian Guard, then via Norse culture, and finally to England through the Normans.
During the medieval period, seating mainly consisted of benches, stools, and rare throne-like chairs that indicated status. Stools came in two forms: the boarded or Gothic stool, which was a short bench with two board-like feet at the ends, and the simple turned stool. Turned stools were the forerunners of both the turned chair and the Windsor chair. The simplest stool resembled a Windsor chair: a solid plank seat with three legs set into it using round mortise and tenon joints. These stools likely used a green woodworking technique where dried legs were inserted into a still-green seat; as the seat dried and shrank, the joints tightened. Legs were originally shaped by shaving down a branch or pole, with later examples featuring turned shapes. Older Scottish texts sometimes refer to a low stool as a "creepie" or "creepie-stool."
Three-legged stools survive from the 17th century, along with an illustration of an early turned stool from that period. One use for three-legged stools was for farm workers milking cows. Later 17th-century developments produced the joined stool, which used joinery techniques to create a larger, box-like stool from minimal timber by joining long, thin spindles and rails at right angles.
In several African kingdoms and chiefdoms, stools have been and still are used as thrones instead of chairs. One famous example is the Golden Stool of the Asantehene in Ghana, which sparked the War of the Golden Stool between the British and the Ashanti, a notable event in colonial African history.
The backstool marks an int
- field
- Furniture
- known_for
- One of the earliest forms of wooden furniture; precursor to chairs
- materials
- Wood (early stools); later bentwood and bent steel tube
- variants
- Three-legged, four-legged, folding, joined, backstool, bar stool
Lore & Background
The origins of stools are obscure, but they are known to be one of the earliest forms of wooden furniture. The ancient Egyptians used stools as seats, and later as footstools. The diphros was a four-leg stool in Ancient Greece, produced in both fixed and folding versions. Percy Macquoid claims that the turned stool was introduced from Byzantium by the Varangian Guard, and thus through Norse culture into Europe, reaching England via the Normans.
In the medieval period, seating consisted of benches, stools, and the very rare examples of throne-like chairs as an indication of status. The stools had two forms: the boarded or Gothic stool, a short bench with two board-like feet at the ends and also the simple turned stool. Turned stools were the progenitor of both the turned chair and the Windsor chair. The simplest stool was like the Windsor chair: a solid plank seat had three legs set into it with round mortice and tenon joints. These simple stools probably used the green woodworking technique of setting already-dried legs into a still-green seat.
Several kingdoms and chiefdoms in Africa had and still have traditions of using stools in the place of chairs as thrones. One of the most famous of them, the Golden Stool of the Asantehene in Ghana, was the cause of one of the most famous events in the history of colonized Africa, the so-called War of the Golden Stool between the British and the Ashanti.
Reader's Guide
The stool holds significance as one of the earliest forms of wooden furniture, with origins that are obscure but traceable to ancient Egypt and Greece. Its development reflects key shifts in joinery and material use: from simple green woodworking techniques to turned legs, and later to joined stools using spindles and rails. The backstool represents an intermediate step between stool and chair, with a central rear leg extended to support a pad. Modern backstools, particularly bar stools, emerged around 1900 with materials like bentwood and bent steel tube, allowing backs to be attached without relying on traditional leg placements. The stool's legacy includes its role as a throne in African kingdoms, most famously the Golden Stool of the Asantehene, which sparked the War of the Golden Stool. The term 'stool' has become blurred in modern times, encompassing many types with backs, yet the basic form—a raised seat without armrests or a backrest—remains a fundamental piece of seating furniture.
Did You Know?
- The diphros was a four-leg stool in Ancient Greece, produced in both fixed and folding versions.
- Percy Macquoid claims the turned stool was introduced from Byzantium by the Varangian Guard.
- The Golden Stool of the Asantehene in Ghana was the cause of the War of the Golden Stool between the British and the Ashanti.
- Older Scottish texts may refer to a low stool as a 'creepie' or as a 'creepie-stool'.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a stool (seat)?
A stool is a raised, single-person seat supported by three or four legs, with no armrests or backrest. It is widely regarded as one of the oldest forms of seating furniture ever created.
Where did the stool originate?
The precise origins remain unclear, but stools are recognized as among the earliest wooden furniture pieces in human history. Ancient Egyptians used them both as seats and as footrests, and they also appeared in Ancient Greece.
What materials are stools made from?
Early stools were typically crafted from solid wood. Later iterations incorporated bentwood and bent steel tube construction, broadening the range of possible designs.
What variants of a stool exist?
Common types include three-legged, four-legged, folding, joined, backstool, and bar stool designs. Folding stools can be collapsed flat by rotating the seat so it sits parallel to the legs that fold upward.
Why is the stool important in furniture history?
As one of the earliest forms of wooden furniture, the stool served as a direct precursor to the chair. Its simple, backless design established foundational principles for seating that persisted for millennia.
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