African Dream Machines: Style, Identity and Meaning of African Headrests

by Anitra Nettleton

Overview

African Dream Machines takes African headrests out of the category of functional objects and into the more rarefied category of ‘art’ objects. Styles in African headrests are usually defined in terms of western art and archaeological discourses, but this book interrogates these definitions of style and demonstrates the shortcomings of defining a single formal style model as exclusive to a single ethnic group.
Among the artefacts made by southern African peoples, headrests were the best known. Anitra Nettleton’s study of the uses and forms of headrests opened up a number of art-historical methodologies in the attempt to gain an understanding of form, style and content in African art objects. Her drawings of each and every headrest encountered become a major part of the project.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781868144587
Publisher:	Wits University Press
Publication date:	10/01/2007
Pages:	487
Sales rank:	763,881
Product dimensions:	6.60(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Anitra Nettleton was the Chair and Director of the Centre for Creative Arts of Africa at the Wits Art Museum (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg) until her retirment in 2016. Instrumental in founding the Standard Bank Collection of African Art at the Wits Art Museum in 1978, she has curated many exhibitions, and taught at Wits Universityfor 35 years.

Table of Contents

Preface     vii
Acknowledgements     ix
Notes on the Use of African Ethnic Names and Country and Place Names     xi
References to Illustrations in the Text and Notes on Illustrations     xiii
Headrests and Art: Figures 1-3     1
A Matter of Style, or, Why Style Matters: Figures 4-26     23
Methodology, Position and Limitations     59
The Geographical and Chronological Distribution of the Columned Headrest: Figures 27-108     69
Authenticity and History: Figures 109-179     131
East African Headrests: Identity, Form and Aesthetics: Figures 180-261     187
Tracing Histories: Central and Southern African Connections: Figures 262-432     245
Not Just a Curious Beauty: The Anatomy of Meaning in Useful Objects: Figures 433-465     341
Notes to Chapters     387
Bibliography     425
List of Illustrations     445
Index     463