A superb Robert 'Mouseman' Thompson dish top stool - circa 1940. It is a wonderful dark oak colour, and it has been fully adzed, even to the legs. The signature mouse has been well carved and runs up one leg. 
 
The top of the stool has been carved from a beautiful piece of burr oak, which is in very good condition. Quite often the tops of these stools have cracks, as burr is naturally more susceptible to cracking. The Mouseman dish top stools are also rarer than the other stools that come to the market as Mouseman stopped making them because the process involved in shaping the wood is complicated. The oak is soaked in water until it can be shaped. It is then nailed onto the frame. A time-consuming process that often resulted in the oak cracking and wastage. Hence why the dish top stools are rarer and therefore more highly sought after. 
 
The stool itself is in very good condition with just signs of wear commensurate with age and use - small chips to the rails and the feet etc. Nothing significant, all in line with 80 years of use. It is a good, solid stool, structurally sound, and still very useable today. The top measures 40.5 cm x 37.5 cm. The overall height of the stool is 38 cm. A great item. The Mouseman burr oak pieces are always popular with collectors, especially the early pieces.