Description: A superb Zulu neckrest of great proportions, rising from two flared legs with a central part decorated with finely carved and raised ridges; exceptionally fine and varied, slightly shiny, honey to dark brown patina.The headrests were functional, protecting the head and the hairstyle of the user. For long periods of ownership and use, they are involved in complex spiritual ceremonies. It is known that headrests were often buried with their owners, but in some cases they were kept as a means through which the deceased could be contacted in the ancestral world. (Becker in Phillips, ed. 1995: 205)

Provenance:
Alain Guisson, Brussels