KWAZULU-NATAL, SOUTH AFRICA

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Zulu headrests are distinctive for their heavy designs that often feature rectilinear shapes and blocky legs in a bench-like configuration. Their legs are sometimes deployed in more than one pair, which lends a zoomorphic impression. This allusion is in some cases clear, referencing the precious cattle of Zulu herders, and at others more oblique.

The upper plane of this example is gently bowed, its concave curvature playing against the convex contours of the thick, strong, rounded legs that exude a certain vitality. Also in dialogue with the theme of curvature are the decorative incised panels which cover the frontal faces of the legs. Their tight, geometric delineation activates a direct and contrasting aesthetic tension with the rest’s swelling and flexing forms that speaks to the sophistication of the carver.