|
|
African and Oceanic Art from the Barbier-Mueller Museum, Geneva: A Legacy of Collecting
|
|
|
|
|
Heddle Pulley
Côte d'Ivoire; Guro peoples, 19th century
Wood, pigment; H. 8 1/4 in. (21 cm)
Provenance: Félix Fénéon, Paris, before 1929; Dr. Charles Stéphen-Chauvet, Paris; Morris Pinto, Paris, before 1985; Barbier-Mueller collection, since 1985
|
|
|
Especially ornate heddle pulleys are designed by Guro carvers for master weavers. They are used in narrow-band looms to hold a bobbin over which the string is stretched, connecting the heddles. When often embellished with anthropomorphic or zoomorphic forms, the pulley hangs constantly in front of the weaver's eyes, accompanying him through his work. In this example, the extremely refined carving of the face, with the bulging forehead, small ears, sloping slit eyes, and small mouth with a delicate smile, suggests the style of the Master of Buafle, a master carver active prior to 1920 in the southeastern part of the Guro region. See a comparative example in the Met's collection.
|
|
|
Back to main page for this exhibition
Back to images from this exhibition
