Headrest

Creator

Preview

Geography

Somalia or Kenya, Africa

Medium

Wood

Dimensions

7 x 5 3/4 x 2 1/2 in (17.78 x 14.61 x 6.35 cm)

4.37 oz. (124.1 g)

Credit Line

Bequest of David P. Harris ('46), 2020

Accession Number

2020.203

Provenance

Purchased by David P. Harris (‘46)

Condition

There is damage and scratches at the top of the headrest.

Description

This carved wood headrest has a crescent top and two supports on an oval base with an interlace guilloche motif on the curved side panels. There is damage and scratching on the top of the headrest.

A similar object is at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art,89-14-20, and indicates that comparable headrests are used both by nomads in southern Somalia and by the neighboring Boni of northeastern Kenya.