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African & Tribal Art :
Guro, Yaure : Yaure Wooden Heddle Pulley
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Yaure Wooden Heddle Pulley - PF.5889
Origin: Central Ivory Coast
Circa: 20
th
Century AD
Dimensions:
10.625" (27.0cm) high
x 3.25" (8.3cm) wide
Collection: African
Medium: Wood
Additional Information: SOLD
Location: United States
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| Description |
"Nobody likes to live without beautiful things," replied a Guro weaver when asked why he hung a decoratively carved pulley on his wooden post loom set up beneath a mango tree. The decorative features of West African heddle pulleys -- devices that hold the heddles in looms -- are created solely for aesthetic satisfaction, and have no ritual or magical purpose. The delicately carved figure on the pulley peers down at the weaver as he works and becomes his constant visual companion. The formal composition of these small pieces shows great virtuosity and variation: the artists strive for originality, ingenuity, elegance, and imaginative effects.
Naturalistic faces occur rarely on pulleys. Instead, carvers draw upon a wide repertoire of facial styles that appear on other spiritual statues and masks. This heddle pulley takes on the form of a man. The elongated lines of his jaw have been reinforced by his crenulate beard that frames the contours of his face. Perhaps the most spectacular feature of this pulley is the man’s elaborate coiffure. His hair has been gathered at the top of his hear and arranged into three large bundles that rise majestically like a crown. This facial type is adopted directly from full-figured Yaure sculptures including the characteristic beard, the pursed lips, the long nose, the arched brows, and coffee bean-shaped eyes. Overall, this stunning pulley shows the delicacy, smoothness of finish, and skillful composition that are prized by African carvers.
- (PF.5889)
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