Navajo Transitional Wedge Weave Blanket, c.1885

Item: AOR5369P
Material: handspun wool
Size: 79 1/2" x 50"
Period: Historic
Origin: Navajo

This is a late 19th century Navajo wearing blanket woven entirely in native handspun wool in natural ivory and a variety of hand dyed aniline colors including red, yellow, and light blue. The blanket has four horizontal bands of wedge weave that produce a distinct zigzag pattern. Textiles using this pulled warp technique are rare even for the period. The combination of colors is something that would have appealed to a hispanic audience and as such the blanket was identified by Joe Ben Wheat as a "Slave Blanket." Blankets such as these were made by Navajo weavers working in Hispanic households and under their direction. Joe Ben Wheat is a respected scholar on Navajo textiles and has written seminal works on the subject. Condition overall is excellent.

SOLD