Headrest (mutsago)

Unknown

Late 19th–early 20th century · Wood · Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas

The earliest headrests preserved in museum collections are those created in ancient Egypt during the Middle Kingdom, ca 2030 B.C. A remarkable diversity of styles of related forms were developed by different cultural groups across southern Africa. Nguni sculptors from present-day South Africa are especially recognized for the inventiveness of their headrest designs. This bold yet simple interpretation elegantly balances a horizontal surface that spans three carefully spaced sets of circular discs emblazoned with dense graphic motifs.

Artist

Unknown

Date

Late 19th–early 20th century

Medium

Wood

Culture

Tsonga or Nguni peoples

Department

Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas

Credit line

Purchase, Dr. and Mrs. Sidney G. Clyman Gift, 2021