A classic Navajo poncho sarape
Very tightly woven, the central panel worked in a complex arrangement of conjoined, complementary and overlapping diamond lozenges, the central slit flanked by small crosses, a lattice of diamonds and banding at each end, the warps exposed and twisted to create fringe, an unusual braided end selvedge, in raveled cochineal-dyed 2-ply red, raveled 2-ply light green, indigo, faded fuchsine (likely) plied lavender (for the end selvedge) and natural white yarns.
size approximately (without the fringe) 5 ft 11in x 4 ft 3in
size approximately (without the fringe) 5 ft 11in x 4 ft 3in
Sold for
US$ 67,100
inc. premium
Footnotes
- Cf:
Wheat, p. 171, for a sarape dated 1864-1866 with similar 2-ply raveled cochineal-dyed red and 2-ply light green yarns. The green in that case is listed as "vegetal". Another period blanket, collected in 1865, known as the "Davis poncho" is illustrated on page 245. It, too, utilized 2-ply cochineal-dyed red and 2-ply light green yarns with the addition of a plied "probably fuchsine" sewing material. Fuchsine was one of the earliest synthetic dyes to be introduced to the Navajo, some time in the 1860's.
Lot heading
Property from a Southern California family collection
Category: Ethnographic Art / Native American
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