Headrest carved from a tree branch in the form of a long-necked animal, with narrow seat, 3 angled legs and pyroengraved decoration. [RTS 3/6/2005].

Collection type: Object
Description: Headrest carved from a tree branch in the form of a long-necked animal, with narrow seat, 3 angled legs and pyroengraved decoration. [RTS 3/6/2005].
Long description: Headrest carved from a single piece of orangey brown wood (Pantone 729C). This is an example of 'found form', with a naturally grown branch specifically chosen because its shape, with subsidiary branches coming off the main stem to form the three feet, was suitable for making a headrest. This example has been made to imitate an animal, possibly a giraffe. It consists of a narrow seat running horizontally across the top and almost straight across its length. The upper surface has been partially flattened along the front half of the seat, leaving it with defined sides and a slightly convex surface across the width; the back part of the seat still follows the natural curve of the original branch. This has a convex underside throughout. At the front of the seat, a branch angles out and up to form a long animal neck, flattened across its back, and terminating in a small triangular head with pointed crown. Small holes have been burnt into the surface of this to create eyes and nostrils, with a slit mouth cut below. A shorter, tapering branch forms a projecting tail from the back of the seat. 2 branches extend from the underside of the seat to form the legs, consisting of a thick branch at the front that forks almost immediately into 2 splaying legs, in an inverted 'Y' shape, and a single branch at the back that is in alignment with the seat body. These legs have uneven, faceted feet. It has been decorated across the body with a series of short lines, burnt into the surface using a heated tool. These run in columns down the outer faces of the legs, down either side of the seat and across the top of its rounded back part, across the top of the tail, and all around the neck. The headrest is complete and intact, but with some splits along the neck and seat area. It has a weight of 592.3 grams and is 387 mm high and 620 mm long; the seat is 445 mm long, 29 mm wide and 24 mm thick, while the legs have a diameter of from 16.5 to 20 mm [RTS 3/6/2005].
Geographical reference: South Sudan
Africa > Eastern Africa > South Sudan; Upper Nile Sobat River
Cultural groups: Atuot
Person: Field collector Rowland Percy Somerset Elderton; PRM source Rowland Percy Somerset Elderton
Date / Period: Date made: Before 1909
Date collected: 1909
Acquisition information: Donated: 1952
Materials and processes: Material Wood Plant, Process Carved, Process Decorated, Process Pyroengraved Pokerwork
Dimensions: Diameter: max 20 mm legs, Length: max 620 mm, Width 29 mm seat, Length 445 mm seat, Height: max 387 mm, Height 24 mm seat, Weight 592.3 g
Object numbers: Accession number: 1952.5.60
Research and responses: The Sobat River is located in the modern administrative district of Upper Nile. For a similar headrest, see 1961.9.4, attributed to the Shilluk. This particular example is very tall, and may have been made as a piece of 'tourist art' rather than for actual use [JC/RTS 9/6/2005].

Search terms: Furniture Dwelling, Figure, Headrest, Furniture, Animal Figure