Heddle Pulley
Item
Accession Number
2018.14
Title
Heddle Pulley
Ethnic Group
Guro
Subject
Pulley|Weaving|West Africa
Country
Ivory Coast
Date
19th?20th century (20th c)
Medium
Wood|Palm Oil
Format
H x W x D: 5.5 x 3.5 x 2.5 in. (13.97 x 8.89 x 6.35 cm)
Description
Heddle pulleys were used on a narrow stripped loom to aid in the separation of threads while weaving. What is interesting about the heddle pulleys is their variety of designs. Several have figures carved above the pulley such as animals, human masks, and abstract designs. This artistic characteristic is purely for aesthetics as they have no effect on the functionality of the pulley, which reiterates how important visual design was to the African culture. This pulley has a wide top with ridges on the outer rim. This shows a progression towards imagination and abstraction.
