Navajo pictorial regional rug
circa 1900-1920s
39" wide x 60 1/2" long
excellent condition
handspun wools with synthetic red and natural indigo dyes (indigo is in the woman''s dress)
$4800.
This textile's design illustrates a fascinating combination of differing cultural influences on its maker, who was clearly a masterful and experienced weaver.
Commercial demands of the time urged the weaver to weave a textile with a border on all sides. Moreover, many who purchased Navajo textiles at this time loved pictorials. The textile incorporates both.
The weaver refers to the Navajo creation story in this textile by illustrating Spiderwoman (the source of life) emerging from the lower world into the middle world where the Navajo live. Spiderwoman is dressed in a traditional Navajo dress with classic red and indigo stripes. She is also represented throughout the textile by the use of Spiderwoman crosses, which are traditionally represented by crosses with small square blocks on the edges.
Marcy Burns American Indian Arts LLC
520 East 72nd Street, Suite 2C
New York, New York 10021
(by appointment only)
