Gurage Wood Headrest, Ethiopia

Sleep, in Ethiopia, came with an arrangement. Hairstyles were not to be disturbed.

Headrests supported the neck through the night, keeping carefully arranged hair intact, and they were often personal possessions carried from place to place. This one was carved by the Gurage peoples in the mid to late 19th century.

A broad, crescent-shaped upper section with a deeply curved rest narrows to a short stem on a wide, faceted oval foot. About six and a half inches tall. The surface is strongly weathered, the grain opened into a rippling texture, the top edge smoothed by use. Soft, dry brown wood.

Rest your eyes on it, if not your head.