Spotted Cat Headrest

To keep her elaborate hairstyle intact while sleeping, a well-to-do Qing-dynasty woman once used this ceramic headrest as a pillow. The headrest is shaped as a crouching house cat, with whiskers and fur playfully painted in with black, brown, and creme glaze. Credited with a power to protect against evil spirits, perhaps for its ability to see in the dark, the cat is the ideal guardian for a headrest pillow, protecting its owner while she dreams.

From the collection of Frances and Gary Comer.