Antique Peacock Heddle Pulley, Burma/Myanmar (11297B)

Description

Carved Burmese/Myanmar teak heddle pulleys were primarily used in strip-weaving, a process using small handlooms to weave long, narrow strips of cloth sewn together to create larger textiles such as blankets and ritual cloths. They are used in pairs and are tied together by a string that runs through a mechanism at the top of the loom. Used worldwide and especially in Burma and Africa looms with heddle pulleys were made to be functional and artistically propitious. Pulleys were topped with symbolic figures, mythical animals, and auspicious beings as it was believed they would protecting the weaver and aid in producing high-quality weaving that pleased the gods and spirits. Although Burma is a Buddhist country, its past was steeped in animism and shamanism with the belief that inanimate objects, places, and creatures possess a spiritual essence that influences human life and therefore merits worship and placation to attract positive energy and repel malevolent spirits.

This pulley is surmounted by a carved peacock, a frequent Burmese decorative motif. In Buddhism it represents the short-lived nature of all things since its forms appear and vanish as swiftly it displays and furls its tail. It is also is the emblem of its last dynasty the Konbaung Dynasty (1845-1941). The graceful peacock has a sweeping tail extending to the top of his head and two combs on a long elegantly curved neck providing a curved surface to assure even flow of the string for weaving. Carved surface textures differentiate the feathers on the neck, wings and chest. His rounded claws rest on heart-shaped pieces of wood with holes to support the thin wood dowel that holds the moving thimble and gives the piece a less functional and more artistic feel. There are many contemporary heddle pulley carvings but genuine antique folk art carvings have become increasingly rare. Mounted on a black wood base, this carving is in excellent condition with weathering from age and use. It pairs well with #11297A-ZKE Antique Peacock Heddle Pulley.

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