African Art Auction Ending 4/9

#161 – WEST AFRICAN STRIP WEAVING MATERIALS. (A) Pair of carding paddles used to transform raw cotton balls into strands that can be spun into threads. Late 19th-early 20th century. Labelled “CARD COTTON No1. Made by BFC FRANCE” with eagle trademark. Wire bristles, cloth, wood, nails. W 10.5in. (B) Oval bundle of hand spun cotton thread on a stick. Made by spinning cotton strands created with carding paddles. A bundle such as this was used to lay out the warp threads for undyed country cloth. A RARE FIND since commercially made thread wound on spools has been used for more than 75 years in West Africa. Mende people, Sierra Leone. Hand spun cotton thread, wood. L 10.5in. (C) Bundle of very fine, multicolored silk thread prepared to lay out the warp stripe pattern for an Ashante textile. Ashante people, Ghana. L 9.5in. (D) Two weaving “boats” (shuttles) and a hollow wooden spool with tightly wound fine blue thread. The spool rides on a wire that fits into a shuttle. Shuttle is passed back and forth between warp threads. Ashante people, Ghana. Wood, thread. “Boats” 8 in; Spool 6in. (E) Hand carved heddle pulley of Akan doll form and spool. Used to suspend a heddle through which warp threads are passed. Ashante people, Ghana. Wood. Pulley H 6.0in; Spool H 1.5in. (F) Two Heddles. Used to separate warp threads. One or more warp threads are passed through each space between the “teeth” made of fine threads. (1) Ashante people, Ghana. VERY OLD single heddle made from numerous strands of fine thread suspended between two rods. A bundle of green threads tied to a rope loop on one side passes through the shaft of a disc (made by cutting a thread spool in half) that serves as a pedal which the weaver holds between two toes to raise and lower the heddle. Wood, thread. Heddle 6.5in. (2) Ashante people, Ghana. VERY OLD double heddle with same form as (1). The two heddles were operated in tandem in order to manipulate different sets of warp threads. The heddles were suspended by loops of rope at the top. The bundles of green and black thread on the bottom were used to suspend foot pedals operated by the left and right feet, respectively. Heddles 6in each. (G) Beater. Ashante people, Ghana. The beater was used to pull each weft thread tightly in place after it was passed between the warp threads. The ropes at each end were used to suspend the beater. Wood, rope. 5.5in x 7.5in. (H) Ashante people, Ghana. Weaving sword. Used to separate selected warp threads to pass weft threads in “boat”. On custom base. Wood. H 10in. (I) Grooved beater. Used to soften raffia cloth and to give sheen to waxed, tie-dyed cotton cloth. Face carved on handle. H 13in. SEE ATTACHED PICTURES OF WEAVERS AT WORK IN GHANA, the pictures are for reference only and are not included in the lot. {1. Weaver in his work station. Red, green and gold weft threads stretch from lower left into white heddle suspended from a heddle pulley. Weavers holds pedals to operate heddles between his toe. Bonwire Ghana. 2. View from inside a weaver’s work station showing weft threads attached to a weight to keep the taut as they enter heddles suspended from heddle pulleys. Sanga village, Ghana. 3. Apprentice weaver 18-year-old Stanley Emeybo holding a shuttle in his work station. Picture shows the position of two heddles and a beater on the warp threads. Sanga Village, Ghana. 4. An apprentice weaver holding a shuttle in his right hand is using a beater in his left hand to tighten a weft thread he has just inserted with the shuttle. Note his feet operating pedals attached to the heddles. Sanga Village, Ghana.}

WEST AFRICAN STRIP WEAVING MATERIALS. (A) Pair of carding paddles used to transform raw cotton balls into strands that can be spun into threads. Late 19th-early 20th century. Labelled “CARD COTTON No1. Made by BFC FRANCE” with eagle trademark. Wire bristles, cloth, wood, nails. W 10.5in. (B) Oval bundle of hand spun cotton thread on a stick. Made by spinning cotton strands created with carding paddles. A bundle such as this was used to lay out the warp threads for undyed country cloth. A RARE FIND since commercially made thread wound on spools has been used for more than 75 years in West Africa. Mende people, Sierra Leone. Hand spun cotton thread, wood. L 10.5in. (C) Bundle of very fine, multicolored silk thread prepared to lay out the warp stripe pattern for an Ashante textile. Ashante people, Ghana. L 9.5in. (D) Two weaving “boats” (shuttles) and a hollow wooden spool with tightly wound fine blue thread. The spool rides on a wire that fits into a shuttle. Shuttle is passed back and forth between warp threads. Ashante people, Ghana. Wood, thread. “Boats” 8 in; Spool 6in. (E) Hand carved heddle pulley of Akan doll form and spool. Used to suspend a heddle through which warp threads are passed. Ashante people, Ghana. Wood. Pulley H 6.0in; Spool H 1.5in. (F) Two Heddles. Used to separate warp threads. One or more warp threads are passed through each space between the “teeth” made of fine threads. (1) Ashante people, Ghana. VERY OLD single heddle made from numerous strands of fine thread suspended between two rods. A bundle of green threads tied to a rope loop on one side passes through the shaft of a disc (made by cutting a thread spool in half) that serves as a pedal which the weaver holds between two toes to raise and lower the heddle. Wood, thread. Heddle 6.5in. (2) Ashante people, Ghana. VERY OLD double heddle with same form as (1). The two heddles were operated in tandem in order to manipulate different sets of warp threads. The heddles were suspended by loops of rope at the top. The bundles of green and black thread on the bottom were used to suspend foot pedals operated by the left and right feet, respectively. Heddles 6in each. (G) Beater. Ashante people, Ghana. The beater was used to pull each weft thread tightly in place after it was passed between the warp threads. The ropes at each end were used to suspend the beater. Wood, rope. 5.5in x 7.5in. (H) Ashante people, Ghana. Weaving sword. Used to separate selected warp threads to pass weft threads in “boat”. On custom base. Wood. H 10in. (I) Grooved beater. Used to soften raffia cloth and to give sheen to waxed, tie-dyed cotton cloth. Face carved on handle. H 13in. SEE ATTACHED PICTURES OF WEAVERS AT WORK IN GHANA, the pictures are for reference only and are not included in the lot. {1. Weaver in his work station. Red, green and gold weft threads stretch from lower left into white heddle suspended from a heddle pulley. Weavers holds pedals to operate heddles between his toe. Bonwire Ghana. 2. View from inside a weaver’s work station showing weft threads attached to a weight to keep the taut as they enter heddles suspended from heddle pulleys. Sanga village, Ghana. 3. Apprentice weaver 18-year-old Stanley Emeybo holding a shuttle in his work station. Picture shows the position of two heddles and a beater on the warp threads. Sanga Village, Ghana. 4. An apprentice weaver holding a shuttle in his right hand is using a beater in his left hand to tighten a weft thread he has just inserted with the shuttle. Note his feet operating pedals attached to the heddles. Sanga Village, Ghana.}

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