Sarape with Compound Banded Design
Diné (Navajo)
1870–95
Medium
Natural and Germantown wool, plain weave and single interlocking tapestry weave; twined warp ends and selvages; looped and knotted augmented corner tassels; natural and synthetic dyes
Dimensions
186.7 × 137.8 cm (73 1/2 × 54 1/4 in.)
Classification
textile
Department
Textiles
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
210029
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Some Navajo blankets carry what fifth-generation Navajo weavers Barbara Teller Pete and Lynda Teller Ornelas call a “memory”—a tendency to fold along creases formed by previous wear. When this sarape is displayed according to its memory, as if draped around a person’s shoulders, its striped and checkered lines form a new pattern.