Navajo dress panel
woven out of handspun wools
natural and indigo-dyed wools, the red wool being dyed with a very early synthetic red dye (no color run or fading)
Excellent condition, with wear around the middle of the dress (likely caused by concho belt wear)
circa 1870
33" wide x 44" long
R0423
Please contact us for price.
This dress panel continues to intrigue scholars of Navajo textiles. The design and weave imply a much earlier date than that ascribed above, but the red wool has been dye tested and comes up as a very early synthetic red dye. The available trade records indicate that the first synthetic-red dye and/or cloth dyed with synthetic-red dye came into this country circa 1870.
The dress panel was clearly worn by an Indian woman (likely Navajo), with visible wear in the areas where the concho belt would have rested.
The design is elegant in its simplicity and the colors of the indigo blue, the natural brown, and the red are all very rich. This is an opportunity to own a great Classic-design dress panel!
Marcy Burns American Indian Arts, LLC
520 East 72nd Street, Suite 2C
New York, New York 10021
(by appointment only)
