Painted stool

I found this stool at a local antique store and fell in love w it. It is not only painted but the designs are incised into the wood adding texture to the flowers and leaves. Even the black has textured markings to give it visual flow. Somewhere along the way someone took the paint off the top :( and the incised floral design is still visible. A repair on the side leg seems to have round headed nails. The cut out design of the feet/sides are hand done and irregular. Would anyone know anything about this stool? Is it of Dutch influence? What was its purpose? It seems to high to be a footstool. It is 16 inches high and the top is 11.5 inches across. It's slightly wider at its base than just below the top. Any help is greatly appreciated!