GURO, IVORY COAST

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Heddle pulleys are used in strip-weaving, a process that produces long, narrow strips of cloth which are later sewn together to create a larger textile, such as a blanket. Heddles are arrangements of parallel cords or pierced panels that guide the weaver’s threads. They are used in groups and are tied together by a string that runs through a pulley situated above the loom. The weaver’s feet operate the heddles, alternately, during the weaving process.

Guro peoples and their eastern neighbors, the Baule, are renowned for their textile arts. Strip weavers were able to set up their small, portable looms in public places, allowing passersby to admire their work. At the same time, the carvers who adorned the looms with decorative pulleys could also attract interest and potential commissions. Carved with exceptional sensitivity, figurative pulleys such as this one, which depicts a bust of an elegant woman with high coiffure, were a classic display of virtuoso carving skills for deft Guro artisans.