The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 23, 2026

A dark brown wood headrest features a wide, crescent-shaped top curving upward at the ends. A central support, carved with two circular motifs with raised centers and columns of diamonds, connects the top to a flat, two-lobed base. Four angled legs splay from the support to the base and top. The smooth, darkened wood reveals subtle tool marks, emphasizing its sturdy, geometric silhouette.

Headrest

1900s

Africa, Southern Africa, Mozambique, Shona-style maker

Wood and colorant
Overall: 13.1 x 6.3 x 16.3 cm (5 3/16 x 2 1/2 x 6 7/16 in.)
Gift of Harry W. Langworthy 1996.268
Location: Not on view
  • ?–1996
    Harry W. Langworthy III (?–1996)
    1996–
    Cleveland Museum of Art by gift
  • Curnow, Kathy. At Home in Africa: Design, Beauty, and Pleasing Irregularity in Domestic Settings. 2014. Cleveland, OH: Galleries at Cleveland State University. cat. no. 1-11, p. 16.
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. "CMA Annual Report, 1996" (Cleveland, CMA, 1997) listed p. 46.
    Smith, Fred T., Judith Perani, Joseph L. Underwood, and Martha J. Ehrlich. The Visual Arts of Africa : Gender, Power, and Life Cycle Rituals. Second edition. New York: Oxford University Press, 2022. Mentioned and reproduced: pp. 338-339, no. 12.3
  • At Home in Africa: Design, Beauty and Pleasing Irregularity in Domestic Settings. The Galleries at Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 26-October 4, 2014).
    The Galleries at Cleveland State, OH (8/27/2014 - 10/4/2014): "At Home in Africa: Design, Beauty and Pleasing Irregularity in Domestic Settings", cat. no. 1-10, p. 16.
  • {{cite web|title=Headrest|url=false|author=|year=1900s|access-date=23 April 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1996.268