West African Cote d'Ivoire Baule Loom Heddle Pulley

A West African Cote d'Ivoire Baule Loom Heddle Pulley
Fine old smooth silky dark patina
Early 20th Century

Size: 18.5cm high, 6.5cm wide, 6.5cm deep - 7¼ ins high, 2½ ins wide, 2½ ins deep / 19.5cm high - 7¾ ins high

Provenance:
Ex Private collection of the Modern British Artist Davie (1920 - 2014)

These pulleys from which the double heddles of the men’s horizontal loom are suspended have provided Baule sculptors with the opportunity of creating aesthetic ‘tours de force’. They are made to hold the pulley at the top of a man's loom from which the two heddles were hung and alternatively raised and lowered, thus creating the sheds and counter-sheds necessary in weaving. These West African looms produce a ribbon of fabric about four inches wide which is then made up into clothing for men.
The pulleys are carved with the attributes of human beauty that accord to Baule ideals. Carved in miniature, this figure has an elaborate coiffure, facial scarification and half moon eyes with an elegant face that evokes a personality. Although regarded as unpretentious by their nature, these sculptures stand on equal terms with other pieces which are ten times the size.