Rare old bed headboard, mid 19th century ·  Madagascar, Merina · ID: 3039396

Description

hardwood (ebony, rosewood?), superb relief carving: two square compartments lateral and one in the middle, carved with filigree geometrical patterns, the compartments inbetween filled with lined up figures, a parade of soldiers in british uniform with distinctive shako hat and women wearing crinolines, slightly dam., minor missing parts, fine cracks;
headboards became fashionable among the Merina nobility in the early 19th century. The elder’s bed was placed on pillars, high against a wall, and was only accessible by a ladder. Initially these boards were decorated with traditional geometric patterns in low-cut relief. The iconography on these headboards changed after the treaty signed in 1817 between the Merina monarchy and the British Government. These carvings more often incorporated references to the influence of the Europeans on daily life. Horses, for example were introduced amongst the Merina after 1817. The palanquin known as “filanjana” was widely recognized as a symbol of the nobility.

Comparing literature

Stevenson, Michael & Michael Graham-Stewart, The Mlungu in Africa, 2003, p. 34, ill. 9 Lips, Julius, Der Weisse im Spiegel der Farbigen, Leipzig 1983, ill. 19