Artwork Page for Heddle Pulley (Bo Nun Amuin mask)

Details / Information for Heddle Pulley (Bo Nun Amuin mask)

Heddle Pulley (Bo Nun Amuin mask)

1900s
Measurements
Overall: 14.6 cm (5 3/4 in.)
Credit Line
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

This heddle pulley depicts a fearsome Bo Nun Amuin mask that recalls nature spirits.

Description

The heddle pulley, a working element of a narrow-band loom, bears a miniature sculpture. Heddle pulleys support and separate threads during weaving. Mounted above the weaver, the pulleys allow him to glance up at an object of inspiring beauty, rather than pure functionality. This pulley depicts a face mask, a secular usage of a typically sacred mask type.
A dark brown wood sculpture depicts a head with slit eyes and a mouth that juts out in a wide rectangle. A twisted fiber cord loops through a metal ring at the crown. Below the neck, the flat body is decorated with incised concentric arches and triangles. At the bottom, a U-shaped frame holds a light brown wooden spool on a thin metal axle, its ends bent and extending from each side.

Heddle Pulley (Bo Nun Amuin mask)

1900s

Africa, West Africa, Côte d’Ivoire, Baule-style carver

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