Antique/Vintage Chinthe Heddle Pulley, Burma/Myanmar (3303EKE)

Description

Carved Burmese/Myanmar teak heddle-pulleys were primarily used in strip-weaving, a process useing  small handlooms to weave long, narrow strips of cloth  later sewn together to create a larger textile such as blankets and ritual cloths. Heddle-pulleys are functional-and-utilitarian objects used in pairs and are tied together by a string that runs through a mechanism at the top of the loom. This loom was used worldwide and especially in Burma and Africa where the heddle-pulleys were made to be both functional-and-utilitarian and propitious artistic. Skilled craftsmen decorated them with carvings of symbolic figures, mythical animals, and auspicious beings reflected their cultural beliefs that included the ability of these carvings protecting the weaver and aiding him to produce high-quality weavings. The chinthe, a Burmese form of a mythical Buddhist lion, is a common motif that is a guardian figure and the protector of Buddhist Law strongly associated with Buddhism. Although Burma is a decidedly Buddhist country, its past was steeped in animism and shamanism that included the belief that inanimate objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence that may influence human life for the better or worse and, therefore, deserve worship or at least placation to bring positive energy or at the very least keep malevolent spirits at bay. The details of the lion’s coat is a very fine example of expert Burmese-carvings and folk-art. The lacquer applied on the surface is likely a 1970’s coating to preserve the piece,  is clearly a vintage rather than an antique item, but it is simply a gorgeous work of art.

Click here for the blog Burmese Heddle Pulleys: Functional and Aesthetic Weaving Tools