Somali Wood Barshin or Headrest

A crescent lifted high on two slender legs, as light as a wishbone.

This barshin or headrest is Somali, from Ethiopia, East Africa, and dates to the 19th century. It is carved wood. Among Somali and other pastoral peoples of the Horn of Africa, headrests were generally used to support the head during sleep and to protect elaborate hairstyles, and were often carried from camp to camp. Here a gently curved top bar rises on two tapering legs that spread toward a small oval base. The base is incised with a band of slanting lines, and the wood has a warm honey patina. It is 6 inches wide and 7.25 high.

Not a pillow, but certainly a principle.