Egyptian Wooden Headrest

New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, c.1550-1295 BC. A carved wooden headrest formed from three sections, fluted shaft resting on a broad base, the neck support curved and tapering towards the ends. Cf. Penn Museum, object number 29-86-400A/B, for a similar wooden headrest constructed from three parts; Baker, H.S., Furniture in the Ancient World: Origins and Evolution, 3100-475 B.C., New York, 1966, for discussion. 507 grams, 30cm wide (11 3/4"). Acquired mainly during the 1950s-1970s. Collection of Hugh Stanley Russell (1924-2000"). Bonhams, London, 20 October 2005, lot 8 (part"). Private collection of Egyptologist Paul Whelan, Hertfordshire, UK. Accompanied by copies of the relevant Bonhams catalogue pages. Funerary texts known as the Coffin Texts and the Book of the Dead comprise hundreds of magical spells helping the deceased to make a successful passage into the afterlife. A handful of these spells make explicit reference to headrests and compare them with the sun’s rising in the horizon. Coffin Text 232 reads: 'A spell for the head-rest. May your head be raised, may your brow be made to live, may you speak for your own body, may you be a god, may you always be a god'.
Condition Report: Fine condition.