The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 20, 2025

Headrest

c. 1910

Southern Africa, Zimbabwe or Mozambique, Shona-style blacksmith-carver

wood
Overall: 13.4 x 17.8 cm (5 1/4 x 7 in.)
Gift of W. A. Price 1921.1548
Location: Not on view

Description

Headrests allowed Shona men to protect their elaborate braids. Placed under the neck or chin, frequent contact with hair and hairdressing products darkened its top. Tool marks show how it was smoothed only where the skin would make contact. Linked intimately to their owner, headrests often became burial goods or heirlooms. Recent research suggests Shona headrests symbolized women; small projections on the supports likely reference scarification marks worn by women of marrying age. As only mature men used headrests, it reinforces their female symbolism and women’s societal importance as wives.
  • ?–by 1921
    (Elder Coin and Curio Corporation, New York, NY, sold to William Albert Price)
    ?–1921
    William Albert Price, Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1921–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
    Provenance Footnotes
    1 Object card ca. 1920s, curatorial file.
    2 Object card ca. 1920s, curatorial file.
    3 Object card ca. 1920s, curatorial file.
  • Arts of Africa. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (December 10, 2021-July 2, 2023).
  • {{cite web|title=Headrest|url=false|author=|year=c. 1910|access-date=20 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1921.1548