Artwork Page for Headrest

Details / Information for Headrest

Headrest

1800s–1900s

Africa, Southern Africa, South Africa, Zulu-style carver, Africa, Southern Africa, South Africa, Kingdom of Eswatini, Swazi-style carver

Medium
Wood
Measurements
Overall: 10.2 cm (4 in.)
Credit Line
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund 2010.198
Public Domain
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Location
108B Southern African
Print
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Did You Know?

Headrests served to protect the elaborate coiffures highly fashionable until the early to mid-20th century and also enhanced contact with the ancestral realm through dreams.

Description

The shape of this four-legged headrest alludes to cattle, whether bull, ox, or cow. This reference services from the fact that these animals are a source of wealth but also act as mediators between the living and the dead. In earlier days, both headrests and cattle were used in dowry transactions.
A dark brown wood carving depicts a headrest featuring a long horizontal crossbar that curves slightly downward in the center. Its rounded ends frame a smooth top surface. Four thick, outward-slanting legs support the bar in pairs. Each leg is covered in a deeply carved pattern of diagonal lines, creating a textured, woven appearance. The entire piece is polished to a rich, dark brown finish.

Headrest

1800s–1900s

Africa, Southern Africa, South Africa, Zulu-style carver, Africa, Southern Africa, South Africa, Kingdom of Eswatini, Swazi-style carver

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