Chinese Yingqing or Qingbai Glaze Pillow with Children Motif

Two boys hold up the pillow, and neither looks troubled by the job.

This yingqing or qingbai glaze pillow with children motif comes from Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province, China, and dates to the 20th century. It is porcelain. Qingbai, meaning bluish white, is the pale, glassy glaze the Jingdezhen kilns made famous in the Song dynasty, and ceramic headrests are a long-standing Chinese form often revived in later centuries. Two chubby children with tufted topknots kneel back to back, raising a lobed, lightly incised headrest on their hands. Their bare feet meet in the middle, and the glaze pools pale blue in the folds. It is 9.25 inches wide and 5 high.

Sleeping on it would feel slightly ungrateful.