Heddle pulley
20th century, 1950–2000
Object PlaceCote d'Ivoire
Medium/TechniqueWood
DimensionsOverall: 25 x 8.5 x 9 cm (9 13/16 x 3 3/8 x 3 9/16 in.)
Credit LineGift of Geneviève McMillan in memory of Reba Stewart
Accession number2009.2690
On View
Not on viewClassificationsDecorative arts
Collections
Heddle pulleys, found across a wide area of West Africa, hold the double heddles of the horizontal looms. They consist of two pieces: the spool (often lost), and the u-shaped part that supports it, which the carver embellishes with elegant heads, masks, animal forms, and abstract motifs.
Provenance1982, acquired in Paris by Geneviève McMillan (b. 1922 - d. 2008), Cambridge, MA; 2008, to the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation, Cambridge; 2009, gift of the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation to the MFA. (Accession Date: June 17, 2009)
