Ashanti (Asante) Headrest – Carved Wooden Headrest, Akan Culture, Ghana, 19th–20th Century

This carved wooden headrest is attributed to the Akan cultural sphere, most closely associated with the Ashanti (Asante) people of present-day Ghana. Headrests of this form were traditionally used to support the head during sleep while protecting carefully arranged hairstyles. Within Akan material culture such objects also conveyed status and personal identity, often displaying geometric motifs that relate to broader visual traditions found in stools, combs, and architectural decoration.

The present example is hand carved from a single piece of hardwood with two cylindrical supports and a gently curved sleeping surface decorated with geometric chip-carved patterns centred on a diamond motif. The surface shows consistent handling wear and age patina, particularly to the base and edges, consistent with use and age. Akan headrests of this form were produced during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century and are collected today as part of the wider corpus of West African domestic and prestige objects.

Circa: late 19th – mid 20th century

Provenance: Egon Guenther Collection by family descent to Thomas Guenther Collection

MEASUREMENTS
Height: 17.4 cm
Length: 18.5 cm
Width: 7.2 cm
Weight: 479 g