Gurage Wood Headrest, Ethiopia

The hair came first. The pillow was designed around it.

Headrests were used across Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa to support the neck during sleep, protecting carefully dressed hair, and they were often personal objects kept for many years. This one was carved by the Gurage in the mid to late 19th century and stands seven inches tall. A deep crescent rest with upturned tips sits on a single round column. A long incised groove winds down the shaft, and the round base carries a band of small chevrons.

The honey-brown wood has a soft, glowing patina, with small knots and age cracks. Sleep, then, was a more deliberate business.