The Graham Beck Collection of African and Oceanic Headrests

Elaborate headrests allowed wealthy people across Oceania and Africa to display their status. More practical purposes for the headrests included allowing nomads to guard their heads against the dirty ground. Bonhams will present over a hundred headrests from across these continents and regions in their upcoming auction. Each piece comes from the personal collection of Graham Beck, who is also known for his Western Cape wine estate. 

One of the featured lots is a two-headed headrest from the Twa people. The two faces stare in opposite directions, their hair connecting them and forming the headrest. Another highlighted lot is a Shona headrest. The Shona are a Bantu ethnic group native to present-day Zimbabwe. Headrests are one of the art forms the Shona people are most known for. This particular piece was once displayed at the Royal Academy of Arts in London as part of the exhibit Africa – The Art of a Continent. View each of these lots and register to bid on Bonhams’ website.