Neckrest "musamo"
Description
wood, dark brown patina, disc-shaped base with incised ornaments, columnar brace carved with two human faces supporting the slightly vaulted pillow, min. dam., cracks, slight traces of abrasion;
Luba headrests were certainly used by their sleeping owners to help preserve the elaborate coiffures the Luba are noted for. A style such as the Shankadi cascade was styled over a canework frame, it took almost fifty hours to complete, and with the use of a headrest at night, it could last two to three months. While the coiffures are appreciated aesthetically by the Luba, they are also an integral element of social identity. Different Luba coiffures and headdresses are associated with different status and ranks, and with different events in a persons life, like engagement, marriage, widowhead etc.