Headrest, 1800s-1900s. As pillows, headrests served to protect the elaborate coiffures highly fashionable until the early to mid- 20th century, and their use also enhanced contact with the ancestral realm through dreams. Their remains in Great Zimbabwe, other ancient ruins, and abandoned 12th-century burial caves attest to the region’s longstanding tradition of producing and using headrests. [Constantine Petridis Cleveland Museum of Art, (4/16/11-2/26/12); "The Art of Daily Life: Portable Objects from Southeast Africa"]

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Size: 5682px × 3658px
Photo credit: © Heritage Images / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 19th, 20th, africa, art, century, cleveland, heritage, museum, people, sculpture, south, southern, swazi, swaziland, unknown, wood, zulu