Object Details
Maker
Tsonga artist
Label Text
This delightful headrest incorporating the figure of an elephant is unusual in both its representation and large size. It derives from a Tsonga aesthetic tradition of carving headrests with animal figures. Widely used by Tsonga cattle herders before the turn of the century, these headrests were portable and functional personal objects meant to protect elaborate hairstyles.
The size of this headrest, the expression on the elephant's face, and the lack of signs of use suggest it might have been produced for sale to Europeans. Only two other comparable headrests exist; both are in the Rijksmuseum in Holland. So close in style are the three headrests that it seems possible that they were produced by the same hand or workshop. Rogier Bedaux, curator of African Collections at the Rijksmuseum, states that the headrests in their collection originated in Marabastad, in the northwest Transvaal region of South Africa, and were collected before 1890. If it had been produced for an outside market, this headrest would be a remarkably early example of "tourist" art.
Description
Headrest attached to an elephant with a short legged, elongated body.
Provenance
Unknown maker; left Tsonga community before 1890 under unknown circumstances; acquired by private collector, Germany, unknown date; sold to Michael Graham-Stewart (born ?), London, unknown date; sold to the National Museum of African Art, 1991.
Exhibition History
Artful Animals, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., July 1, 2009-July 25, 2010
Elephant: The Animal and Its Ivory in African Culture, Fowler Museum of Cultural History, University of California, Los Angeles, September 25, 1992-June 1, 1993
Art of the Personal Object, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., September 24, 1991-April 9, 2007
Published References
Mellor, S. 2007. From Delicious to Not Quite Right: Subtleties in Discerning the Authenticity of African Art. Objects Specialty Group Postprints, Volume 14 CD. Washington, DC: American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works, p.23, no.25.
National Museum of African Art. 1999. Selected Works from the Collection of the National Museum of African Art. Washington, D.C.: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, p. 175, no. 130.
Ross, Doran (ed). 1992. Elephant: The Animal and Its Ivory in African Culture. Los Angeles: Fowler Museum of Cultural History, University of California, p. 12, no. 1-20.
Content Statement
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Credit Line
Museum purchase
Date
ca. 1890
Object number
91-14-1
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Decorative Arts
Medium
Wood
Dimensions
H x W x D: 14.6 x 53.7 x 8.3 cm (5 3/4 x 21 1/8 x 3 1/4 in.)
Geography
vicitnity of Fort Marabastad, Limpopo Province, South Africa
See more items in
National Museum of African Art Collection
Data Source
National Museum of African Art
Topic
elephant
male
Link to Original Record
Record ID
nmafa_91-14-1