Headrest

Creator

Preview

Geography

Ethiopia, Africa

Medium

Wood

Dimensions

6 4/16 x 6 8/12 x 2 14/16 in. (15.875 x 16.51 x 7.3 cm)
30.064 oz. (852.3 g)

Credit Line

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

Accession Number

2020.204

Provenance

Purchased by David P. Harris (‘46)

Condition

Scratches along top and sides, wear on patina.

Description

This solid wooden headrest sits on a nearly circular base and slopes up to a saddle shaped space for the head. These were often used by its owner to elevate their head and preserve elaborate hairstyles and coiffures while asleep. In east Africa, these pieces are purely practical, while communities in central and southern Africa associated them with dreaming and divination.

Above information is based on a comparable headrest found at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1986.478.15