£600 - £800
A FINELY CARVED 'BONI' NECK-REST SOMALIA, 19TH CENTURY Dark colour and patination through extended use 18.5cm high, 15.5cm wideProvenance:Susan Montiel-Colmenares, London, circa 1970 Ex Private collection Exhibited:BRUNEAF, Bruxelles, Belgium 'La tête dans les étoiles'. Appuis-nuque d'Afrique et d'ailleurs', 6 - 10 June 2012Literature: Pierre Loos, Bayet et Caltaux, 'La tête dans les étoiles. Appuis-Nuque d'Afrique et d'ailleurs', BRUNEAF, 2012: pg. 101These headrests are used by nomadic Somali men and women in southern Somalia and north-eastern Kenya. The male type, as in this fine old example, have a relatively small base and are therefore unstable, making deep undisturbed sleep difficult, and enhancing the men's vigilance in the night. The women's type have a more stable base. The extensive Islamic influence in the region is reflected in the guilloche patterning carved on the sides of the headrest which ensures God's protection for the sleeper.
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