The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 20, 2025

Heddle Pulley (bird)

c. 1935

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

Wood and metal
Overall: 21.6 cm (8 1/2 in.)
Gift of Katherine C. White 1973.219
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

There are eleven species of hornbills in Côte d'Ivoire, where this bird-topped pulley was carved.

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 pully depicts a slender-beaked hornbill reaching toward its belly and may allude to fertility. Besides inspiring weavers, these publicly visible miniature sculptures reportedly acted as “advertisements” for carvers in parts of West Africa.
  • 1973
    Katherine C. White [1929-1980], Gates Mills, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1973-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Fagg, William, and Cleveland Museum of Art. 1968. African Tribal Images; the Katherine White Reswick Collection. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, no. 76.
    “The Year in Review for 1973.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 61, no. 2 (February 1974): 31–78. Reproduced: p. 70; Mentioned: p. 73, no. 15 www.jstor.org
  • Stories from Storage. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 7-May 16, 2021).
    CMA 1974: "Year in Review 1973," CMA Bulletin LXI Feb., 1974), p. 73, no. 15, repr. p. 70.
    Year in Review: 1973. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 30-March 17, 1974).
    CMA 1968: "African Tribal Images: The Katherine White Reswick Collection," cat. no. 76, repr.
  • {{cite web|title=Heddle Pulley (bird)|url=false|author=|year=c. 1935|access-date=20 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1973.219