Woman's Headrest
Arts of Africa
ART OF PRESENTING GENDER
Art can play a role in articulating and enacting gender identities, both openly and more subtly.
This stool and figure display their respectively male and female bodily sexual characteristics quite directly. The stool would have been used by a Lobi man of high status, with its phallic “foot” protruding to convey his virility and authority. The figure, dedicated to the Yoruba cult of Shango, the orisha (god) of thunder, emphasizes female characteristics of breasts and hairdo. In addition, the bowl held by the figure has sexual and reproductive associations.
The two headrests are everyday objects with the same function, though their differing forms are based on the gender of the user. The blocklike form of the man’s headrest contrasts with the more slender form of the woman’s. Even everyday objects such as these can subtly reinforce a strict, binary concept of gender. In addition to cradling the head and protecting often elaborate coiffures during sleep, headrests also serve as emblems of status.
Art can play a role in articulating and enacting gender identities, both openly and more subtly.
This stool and figure display their respectively male and female bodily sexual characteristics quite directly. The stool would have been used by a Lobi man of high status, with its phallic “foot” protruding to convey his virility and authority. The figure, dedicated to the Yoruba cult of Shango, the orisha (god) of thunder, emphasizes female characteristics of breasts and hairdo. In addition, the bowl held by the figure has sexual and reproductive associations.
The two headrests are everyday objects with the same function, though their differing forms are based on the gender of the user. The blocklike form of the man’s headrest contrasts with the more slender form of the woman’s. Even everyday objects such as these can subtly reinforce a strict, binary concept of gender. In addition to cradling the head and protecting often elaborate coiffures during sleep, headrests also serve as emblems of status.
CULTURE
Sidamo
MEDIUM
Wood
DATES
mid–20th century
DIMENSIONS
7 5/8 x 5 x 6 13/16 in. (19.3 x 12.7 x 17.3 cm) (show scale)
COLLECTIONS
Arts of Africa
ACCESSION NUMBER
2013.62.2
CREDIT LINE
Gift of Amyas Naegele
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is not on view
CAPTION
Sidamo. Woman's Headrest, mid–20th century. Wood, 7 5/8 x 5 x 6 13/16 in. (19.3 x 12.7 x 17.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Amyas Naegele, 2013.62.2 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 2013.62.2_PS9.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 2013.62.2_PS9.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2014
"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.
RECORD COMPLETENESS
Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.
