Cleveland Museum of Art

Headrest

Date

1800s–1900s

Medium

Wood

Culture

Africa, Southern Africa, South Africa, Zulu-style carver

Department

African Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

The shape of this four-legged headrest alludes to cattle, whether bull, ox, or cow. This reference services from the fact that these animals are a source of wealth but also act as mediators between the living and the dead. In earlier days, both headrests and cattle were used in dowry transactions. Headrests served to protect the elaborate coiffures highly fashionable until the early to mid-20th century and also enhanced contact with the ancestral realm through dreams.

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