Headrest

Artist Luba Peoples, Shankadi subgroup

Place of OriginDemocratic Republic of Congo

DateEarly 20th century

DimensionsH: 7 in. (17.8 cm); L: 4 in. (10.2 cm); W: 4 in. (10.2 cm); Base Diam: 4 in. (10.2 cm).

MediumWood and glass beads (white, dark blue, and turquoise blue).

ClassificationFurniture

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

2004.46

Not on View

DescriptionHeadrest carved from a single piece of wood (type unknown) in the form of a kneeling woman whose raised arms support the horizontal "pillow," which is a folded cloth or mat. Neck, arms, and waist are adorned with strands of blue and white glass beads. Headrest carved from a single piece of wood (type unknown) in the form of a kneeling woman whose raised arms support the horizontal "pillow," which is a folded cloth or mat. Neck, arms, and waist are adorned with strands of blue and white glass beads.

Label TextElite Luba men and women valued headrests as important possessions and believed that they influenced dreams—the more beautiful the headrest, the better the dream. This example takes the form of a kneeling woman with her arms supporting a “pillow” of cloth. Her almond-shaped eyes, pointed nose, and small mouth are marks of beauty among the Luba. The geometric patterns of scars on her body record stages of personal growth, proclaiming her social status and wisdom. She wears an elaborate “cascade” hairstyle that took Luba women almost 50 hours to style. By using a headrest to elevate the head during sleep, the intricate coiffure could last for two or three months.Published References

Sotheby's, New York, November 24, 1992, Sale 6368, "Tribal Art," lot 139.

Exhibition History

Toledo Museum of Art, Student Curators Present: African Art, April 27-July 24, 2012.

Comparative ReferencesSee also Roberts, Mary Nooter and Allen F. Roberts, Memory: Luba Art and the Making of History, exh. cat., Museum for African Art (New York, 1996) p. 112.

cf. Neyt, François, Luba: aux sources du Zaire, exh. cat., Musée Dapper (Paris 1993).

cf. Bassani, Ezio, Il maestro della capigliatuira a cascata, Critica d'Arte XLI, nos. 148-49) (July-October 1976) 75-87.