The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of March 22, 2025
Headrest with Three Lions
916–1125
(916-1125)
Overall: 13.4 x 37.9 x 18.2 cm (5 1/4 x 14 15/16 x 7 3/16 in.)
Gift of Donna and James Reid 2017.15
Location: 001A ArtLens Exhibition
Did You Know?
Headrests are not just decorative—they would also be slept on as pillows.Description
Three lions—two ferocious adults and one playful cub—form the base of this Chinese headrest. Often found at burial sites, headrests probably had multiple uses for their owners, but their exact origins are unknown. As ceramic pillows, headrests were cooling on hot summer nights. As decorative objects, their form and ornamentation conveyed symbolic meaning for their owners. Lions are used as decoration on headrests because of their association with protection, as fierce beasts with the strength to ward off evil spirits while one sleeps.While headrests made of hard materials may seem unusual now, their use crosses time periods and cultures.
- (Kaikodo, New York, NY)?–2017Donna [b. 1931] and James Reid [1926–2020], Cleveland Heights, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art2017–The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Kaikodo journal. Vol XI, Spring 1999. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 64, pp. 200–201, 309–310
- Artlens Exhibition 2019. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer).
- {{cite web|title=Headrest with Three Lions|url=false|author=|year=916–1125|access-date=22 March 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2017.15