A single piece of wood has been bent into shape to form this rare headrest, which consists of two beautifully flared legs and a slightly arched central neck support. Connecting the two constituent legs is a strand of strong bound fibre which acts both to hold the supports in place, and also as a handle to carry the piece as a symbol of status. When not required for sleeping, the headrest would have provided an impromptu stool. While later examples of such headrests were hand-carved into a similar shape, it is far less common to find this type of headrest which has been created through the time consuming process of soaking, bending and shaping of the wood.
Ex Private Collection, UK
Estimated Period: 1930's
W: 8cm
Reference
Tom Phillips (Ed.), Africa: The Art of a Continent, p. 141
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