AFRICAN TRIBAL HEADREST. WOOD CARVING. GURAGE ETHIOPIA.
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:33272 | Original/ Repro: Original |
| Product: Carved Figures | Primary Material: Wood |
| Region of Origin: Ethiopia | Age: Post-1940 |
AFRICAN TRIBAL HEADREST. WOOD CARVING. ETHIOPIA ORIGINAL. Dispatched with Royal Mail 2nd Class.
This headrest has been used and has hot a nice patina of age.
In many African cultures, small wooden "pillows" are used to support the head during sleep and in some instances to preserve a hairstyle. In Ethiopia, the headrests come in several forms and relate to other intricate, but abstract works. This group is massive and solid, with an almost circular base tapering to a narrower... curving.
Headrest
Region: Ethiopia
Age: Approx. 45 years
Many groups in southern Ethiopia make carved wooden headrests to enable people to sleep without interfering with their complicated coiffure. Hairstyles frequently declare their owner's age, gender and status, and are often embellished by accoutrements of a magic-religious nature. Hairstyles therefore need protecting. The headrest also plays a role in nuptial ceremonies. The groom places currency for the defibulation price under his bride's headrest. The morning after the marriage is consummated, the bride may take the money if she was a virgin. She uses it to buy an amber necklace which is the symbol of her new status as a married woman.
Dimensions: 16.5x16x7cm
This headrest has been used and has hot a nice patina of age.
In many African cultures, small wooden "pillows" are used to support the head during sleep and in some instances to preserve a hairstyle. In Ethiopia, the headrests come in several forms and relate to other intricate, but abstract works. This group is massive and solid, with an almost circular base tapering to a narrower... curving.
Headrest
Region: Ethiopia
Age: Approx. 45 years
Many groups in southern Ethiopia make carved wooden headrests to enable people to sleep without interfering with their complicated coiffure. Hairstyles frequently declare their owner's age, gender and status, and are often embellished by accoutrements of a magic-religious nature. Hairstyles therefore need protecting. The headrest also plays a role in nuptial ceremonies. The groom places currency for the defibulation price under his bride's headrest. The morning after the marriage is consummated, the bride may take the money if she was a virgin. She uses it to buy an amber necklace which is the symbol of her new status as a married woman.
Dimensions: 16.5x16x7cm
