The Luba people of Zaire believed that ancestors visited them through dreams. This belief led to elaborately worked headrests, known as "seats of dreams." Such headrests were used to preserve the elaborate hairstyles of the high-status Luba-Shankadi woman while they slept.
This sculptural headrest shows a pair of figures, hands over each others shoulders, an inventive and highly respected configuration for this type of object. The wonderful, dark polish on the figures intensifies the lighter incised markings.