Accession Number
1987/1.259

Title
Bellows surmounted by human head

Artist(s)
Tabwa

Artist Nationality
Tabwa

Object Creation Date
1900-1987

Medium & Support
wood and leather

Dimensions
25 in x 14 7/8 in x 4 5/8 in (63.5 cm x 37.8 cm x 11.7 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Marc Leo Felix, Brussels

Label copy
Wooden bellows surmounted by the carving of a human head are common among blacksmiths of the Tabwa people. Bellows are used to fan the furnace during the smelting of ore. The success of the process is seen as magic, while the process itself resembles a birth, the furnace taking the form of female sexual organs, and the bellows shaped like male genitals.

Primary Object Classification
Sculpture

Primary Object Type
figure

Collection Area
African

Rights
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Keywords
figures (representations)
heads (animal components)