Headrest "musamo" - Luba - DR Congo

Headrest "musamo" Luba
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Max height: 13.5 cm
Period: early 20th century (1900–1920)
Materials: wood (Chlorophora excelsa)
Provenance: tribal art dealer Jos Humblet - Belgium

As Mary Nooter Roberts notes, “wooden headrests were commonly used by the Luba of previous generations to protect their elegant hairstyles during sleep. The hairstyles of the figures (the headrests with caryatid supports) that they hold were fashion in the 19th century. Headrests were objects of extreme intimacy and carried great personal value for their owners, who regarded them as sacred and were sometimes buried with them.” (Body Politics: The Female Image in Luba Art and Alison Saar’s sculpture, UCLA Fowler Museum of Art, Los Angeles, 2000, p. 35, fig. 35)

Two recent photographs of a Luba chief with his headrest and the other with his cascading hairstyle. One understands better why they needed a headrest when it is known that more than a week is required to craft it.

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