A Nupe head rest collectedin Bida, Nigeria, with a handle; and geometric patterns carved around the edges and center. Gllossy patina; signs of use and age. Nupe headrests are carved wooden supports associated with the Nupe people of central Nigeria, historically used as personal furniture for resting the head during sleep or repose. They belong to a wider corpus of African headrests that combine utilitarian purpose with culturally specific ideas about the body, posture, and personal adornment. Among the Nupe, whose artistic traditions are especially noted for refined woodcarving, metalwork, and textile production, headrests reflect a sober formal vocabulary shaped by both local aesthetics and long-standing Islamic influence. In form, Nupe headrests are typically compact and carved from a single block of wood. They consist of a gently curved upper surface designed to cradle the neck or back of the head, supported by one or more vertical elements and a stable base. The emphasis is on balance and durability rather than elaborate ornamentation. Surface treatment tends to be restrained, with smooth planes and limited geometric articulation rather than figural carving. This restraint aligns with broader Nupe artistic preferences, which often favor abstraction and clarity of structure over narrative imagery. Functionally, the headrest served several practical purposes. It elevated the head above the ground, reducing contact with insects and dirt, and helped preserve hairstyles, which could carry social or ritual significance. The posture encouraged by the headrest also aligns with ideas of bodily discipline and controlled repose found across many African societies. In this sense, the object mediates between the body and the ground, marking a threshold between waking and sleeping states. Comparable functions have been documented across sub-Saharan Africa, and Nupe headrests can be understood as local expressions of this widespread practice rather than isolated inventions. In museum contexts, Nupe headrests are usually catalogued as twentieth-century works, though the form itself is likely older. Provenanced examples are relatively rare, and detailed ethnographic accounts of their use are limited. As a result, interpretation often relies on stylistic analysis, comparison with better-documented headrest traditions elsewhere in Africa, and broader studies of Nupe material culture. Within collections, these objects are valued not for visual complexity but for their distilled form and the insight they offer into everyday life, bodily care, and the aesthetics of utility among the Nupe. Seen today, Nupe headrests occupy an ambiguous position between sculpture and furniture. Their scale and simplicity invite close attention to proportion, surface, and touch, qualities that resonate with modernist sensibilities while remaining rooted in specific cultural practices. As catalogue objects, they are best understood not as isolated artworks but as elements of a lived environment, shaped by habitual use and embedded in social norms concerning rest, hygiene, and personal presentation. References Brooklyn Museum, collection records for Nupe headrest, wood, twentieth century. Frobenius, Leo, The Voice of Africa, studies on Central Nigerian cultures. Nadel, S. F., A Black Byzantium: The Kingdom of Nupe in Nigeria. Sieber, Roy, and Walker, Roslyn Adele, African Art in the Cycle of Life. Willett, Frank, African Art: An Introduction. CAB27962