Chokwe Wood Headrest, Angola

Two legs, braided into a knot that no sleeper would ever untie.

Chokwe carvers of Angola, Central Africa, made this headrest in wood in the 20th century. Headrests across Central and Southern Africa were commonly used to keep elaborate hairstyles intact during sleep, and are often prized as personal objects. The curved neck rest sits on two thick legs that twist and cross one another in a loose lattice, rising from an oval base. Small lugs project at each end of the top. The wood has darkened to a deep, glossy brown, polished by handling.

About seven inches tall. A small piece of furniture that behaves like sculpture.