Loom Pulley Stirrup Animated With A Ndoma Portrait Mask, Yaouré Culture

WEAVING LOOM PULLEY BRACKET decorated with a Ndoma MASK-PORTRAIT
Yao culture, Ivory Coast
Late 19th–early 20th century
Wood
H: 7.7 in; W: 3.3 in
(slight damage from age)

Pulley with a curved handle, finely carved with a Ndoma portrait mask with half-closed eyes, evoking calm and self-control. It features a beard collar, star- or cross-shaped scarifications on each cheek—symbols of beauty, moral purity, and spiritual light—and a pair of horns, likely from an antelope.
This zoomorphic attribute reflects the symbolic evolution of the mask. It is hybrid in nature: both human and spiritual, straddling the visible and invisible worlds. The mask, now known as Zamble, thus becomes a protective spirit for the community.

The stirrup is decorated with a wide frieze incised with geometric motifs.

It bears an old collection number written by hand.

Provenance:
- J.M. Andrieu Collection, Paris, France.
- Private collection, Ghent, Belgium.

Text and photos © FCP CORIDON
No. 48 of the exhibition "PULLEYS, these suspended sculptures"