Headrests are objects of great beauty made for individuals to use as pillows. They originate from many different cultures across the globe.

In Africa, headrests such as those illustrated here were made largely by people living in North East, Central and Southern Africa, with a few having been found in Mali.

The oldest African headrests date back to the Old Kingdom of Egypt, where the headrests used by individuals during their lifetimes were often placed alongside their corpses or mummies in their tombs.