Headrest 19th century Nguni peoples This headrest has a horizontal orientation with four legs supporting a platform, semi-circular in profile, which is contained between the legs. The surface is flat, and there are rounded handles at either end that are slightly raised above the horizontal line of the platform. The form falls into a category of headrest commonly found south of the Zambezi River that do not have a columnar base (Nettleton, 2007: 247). The four bulbous legs evoke a fat and healthy quadrupedmost likely a cow, given the vital significance of this animal in Nguni society. The surface of the legs, handles, and underbelly is decorated with deeply incised grooves that wrap around the form in parallel lines, creating a dramatic surface of smooth ridges that are shiny from handling and soft curves that are dark with patina. The top is undecorated, and the honey color of the wood is visible in contrast to the decorated areas, which are black with surface accretions. Headrests ha