Blacksmith Bellows
Date19th - 20th century
Culture of Origin
Kuba
Made in
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Object number2007.235
Photo CreditPhoto by Tom Joyce
Exhibition HistoryAsheville, North Carolina, Life Force at the Anvil, A Blacksmith's Art from Africa, May 22 - August 28, 1998Published ReferencesCline, Walter. Mining and Metallurgy in Negro Africa. Menasha: George Bauta Publishing Company, 1937
Herbert, Eugenia W. Iron, Gender, and Power: Rituals of Transformation in African Societies. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1993 p. 37-55
McNaughton, Patrick. Mande Blacksmiths: Knowledge, Power and Art in West Africa. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1988
Celis, Georges. Eisnehutten in Afrika: Les Fonderies Africannines du Fer. Frankfurt: Museum fur Volkerkunde, 1991
Van Geluwe, H., T. Paragjis and H. Nauts. De Mongo Cultuur: Bewoners Van Het Evenaarswoud in Zaire. Brussels: Gemeentekrediet, 1984 p. 30, 126, 127Credit LinePartial gift of Tom Joyce and partial purchase with funds from John and Robyn Horn
Dimensions47 x 18 1/2 x 8 in. (119.4 x 47 x 20.3 cm)
MediumWood, brass tacks
Songye culture, Democratic Republic of the Congo
early 20th century
Object number: 2017.25