Zulu Headrest

Notes

This headrest is from an old British collection and probably dates to the late 19th century.

Precisely carved, it stands on an unusually shaped base, with a simulated brickwork house at the centre. The ends of the platform taper downwards, creating a subtle zoomorphic effect.

The decoration includes indlela ziyegoli-style crosshatching and linear grooves on the legs, fluting on the platform ends, and finely carved brickwork on the house.

— Bruce Goodall

*This item is accompanied by a copy of the book Headrests of southern Africa: The Architecture of Sleep - KwaZulu-Natal, Eswatini and Limpopo, Milan, Italy: 5 Continents Editions.

Provenance

Adam Prout, Jeremy Sabine, Bruce Goodall Collection, accession number [JS8119].

Literature

Featured on page 308 and 309 of Headrests of southern Africa: The Architecture of Sleep - KwaZulu-Natal, Eswatini and Limpopo, Milan, Italy: 5 Continents Editions (2021) by Bruce Goodall, Frédéric Zimer, Mavis Duma, Nessa Liebhammer and Karel Nel.