Headrest of yellow-brown felsite: Ancient Egyptian, Old Kingdom

Headrest of brown hard wood, in two pieces consisting of a central round column and a separate curved rest: Ancient Egyptian, probably early Middle Kingdom

Headrest of wood, with curved supports lashed on with sinnet: Pacific Peoples, Tonga or Fiji

Polished wooden headrest with a cylindrical bar supported by two footed arches: Polynesian, Tonga

Headrest of polished wood in form of a cylindrical bar, one end of which curves downward to form a foot, the other end supported on a two-footed wooden arch lashed on with sinnet: Polynesian, Tonga

Headrest carved from a single piece of wood, used by Tongan men when sleeping: Polynesian, Tonga, early 20th century

Pillow or headrest of bamboo decorated with burnt geometric designs in bands, with two wooden feet attached by sinnet lashings: Pacific Peoples, Fiji

Headrest consisting of a bamboo bar supported on two legs of reddish wood: Pacific Peoples, Fiji, late 19th century

Headrest composed of a bar of bamboo lashed with sinnet to two wooden supports: Pacific Peoples, Fiji, late 19th century

Headrest of carved wood with curved bar supported on an openwork stem, and round base: Africa, Southern Africa, Zambia, Tanganyika Plateau, Awemba Country, late 19th century

Wooden headrest: East Africa, Tanzania, Mambwe, late 19th century

Wooden head rest: Eastern Africa, Mozambique, Zambezi Delta, collected by Dr John Kirk, economic botanist on David Livingstone’s Zambezi Expedition, 1858 - 1864

Headrest of bright coloured brown wood with curved bar with strip of zigzag carving at each end supported on a bilobed stand by three pillars on an inverted V: East Africa

Headrest with central support on a circular base ,of carved wood decorated with strings and fringes of white, blue and red glass beads: Africa: Central Africa, Congo, 19th century

Wooden headrest with flat bar, double polygonal stem and round foot: Central Africa, Congo

Headrest with cylindrical central support flanked on either side by two female figures on circular base, of carved wood : Africa, Central Africa, Congo River, 19th century