Bellows (Primary Title)
Anthropomorphic Bellows (Alternate Title)
Unknown (Artist)
Among the Songye, and in Africa more generally, blacksmiths are thought to work magic by transforming raw material to a finished tool or weapon, and the fire they use is also considered to be a spiritual force. Representing ancestral presence, which is often associated with wind, the head ont his bellows reinforces the mystical role of the smith. Rhythmic pumping of leather diaphragms that once covered the four bowls forced air through the long shaft and metal tubes (now missing) to increase the intensity of the fire.
Aldine S. Hartman Endowment Fund
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC
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