Horse Headstall
Diné (Navajo)
1870s
Medium
Silver and leather
Dimensions
Approx: H.: 61 cm (24 in.)
Classification
headpiece (animal equipment)
Department
Arts of the Americas
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
180497
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
During the 1860s and early 1870s, Navajo (or Diné) communities learned silversmithing from Hispanic artists in New Mexico, as well as from Native artists from Plains communities, whose own metalworking traditions stemmed from Colonial sources in the eastern United States. Mexican pesos, U.S. American dollars, and ingot silver were melted down and recast in molds carved from soft volcanic tufa. Navajo silversmiths employed steel tools and punches to develop decorative patterns. Early concho belts...