The Zulu are a Bantu people and the largest ethnic group in Southern Africa. The Zulu are best known for their beadwork and basketry. There have also been some figural sculptures attributed to them. Neck rests and head rests are personal items and status symbols that are widely used in Africa to keep the head and neck lifted up above the sleeping mat. A beautiful neck rest carved from light wood and, typical for the Zulu, decorated with small, colorful beads
H: 20 cm (approx. 8”)
Estimated age: first half of the 20th century
Provenance: Austrian private collection