Tsonga headrests of this type, collected by Swiss missionaries in Mozambique and the Transvaal lowveld and escarpment in South Africa in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century have become justly famous as examples of extraordinary inventiveness and carving skill. This example centres on a support in which opposed arcs are arranged symmetrically on either side of central diamond-shaped block placed horizontally, angle-on to the long face of the headrest. The linear treatment of the larger, inward-curving, fluted arcs, which image bent ‘arms’, again suggesting a figure. The base is divided into two distinct lobes joined by a central bar, which also parallels the central diamond block. In this example the pendants are placed at an angle off the vertical but are so thick that although their semicircular faces are in line with the short ends, their depth parallels the long axis of the platform. In Tsonga carving the artists appear to have aimed for symmetry around a central axis, using a form of harmony and counterpoise, of which this is a very good example.

Text from: Klopper (Sandra), Nettleton (Anitra) & Pethica (Terence J.), "The Art of Southern Africa. The Terence Pethica Collection", Milan: 5 Continents, 2007, p. 119, #48