Vintage Heddle Pulley with a Mythical Animal , Burma/Myanmar (3303EKE) $225

Description

Carved Burmese/Myanmar teak heddlepulleys 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 weavings.  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 heddle pulley is surmounted with a chinthe, a Burmese mythical lion, is a common motif as a guardian and protector of Buddhist law. It is depicted here as a powerful beast, mouth open in a roar, strong neck covered with a thick mane, and hair piled on his head, all reinforcing his ferocity. His rests on the downward-pointing triangle and pushes his body unnaturally high on its hind legs while curving his tail to touch his head. This animal image is often used in heddle pulleys to cover the area where the weaving thread travels around the bobbin between the wood round triangle pieces holding it.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. This fine carving is in excellent condition with few signs of wear and age and  is mounted on a metal pole on a black wood base.

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