Navajo, Southwest
Early to mid 20th century
Handwoven wool textile
Height 44 1/2" (113 cm); width 62" (157 cm)
Provenance: Rebecca and Jean-Paul Valette, Massachusetts
Publication: Valette and Valette, Navajo Weavings with Ceremonial Themes, 2017, figure 6.6.20, page 285
Yeibichai rugs are among the most distinctly ceremonial category of Navajo pictorial weaving, depicting the masked dancers who appear during the Nightway ceremony, a nine-night healing chant among the most complex and revered in the Navajo ceremonial tradition. The figures depicted are Yei beings, Holy People of the Navajo world, rendered in the stylized upright frontal posture characteristic of this weaving type. The production of Yeibichai rugs represents a documented intersection between Navajo ceremonial imagery and the pictorial weaving tradition that developed for the trade market from the late 19th century onward.
This rug's horizontal format allows the figures and design elements to read clearly across the full field, consistent with the compositional conventions of the Yeibichai type. The handwoven construction and the clarity of the figural program reflect the technical control expected of accomplished Navajo weavers working within this established subject category. The piece is documented in Navajo Weavings with Ceremonial Themes by Valette and Valette, published in 2017, providing an independent published reference within the study of Navajo pictorial and ceremonial textiles.
The Valette collection provenance connects this rug to Rebecca and Jean-Paul Valette, the authors of the publication in which it is illustrated, giving it a direct link to two of the leading contemporary scholars of Navajo ceremonial weaving. Their 2017 publication is a primary reference work in the field, and inclusion as figure 6.6.20 places this rug within a documented corpus of Yeibichai examples selected for scholarly study. The combination of publication history and named collector provenance gives this textile a well documented place within the category of Navajo ceremonial pictorial weaving.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Navajo, Southwest
Early to mid 20th century
Handwoven wool textile
Height 44 1/2" (113 cm); width 62" (157 cm)
Provenance: Rebecca and Jean-Paul Valette, Massachusetts
Publication: Valette and Valette, Navajo Weavings with Ceremonial Themes, 2017, figure 6.6.20, page 285
Yeibichai rugs are among the most distinctly ceremonial category of Navajo pictorial weaving, depicting the masked dancers who appear during the Nightway ceremony, a nine-night healing chant among the most complex and revered in the Navajo ceremonial tradition. The figures depicted are Yei beings, Holy People of the Navajo world, rendered in the stylized upright frontal posture characteristic of this weaving type. The production of Yeibichai rugs represents a documented intersection between Navajo ceremonial imagery and the pictorial weaving tradition that developed for the trade market from the late 19th century onward.
This rug's horizontal format allows the figures and design elements to read clearly across the full field, consistent with the compositional conventions of the Yeibichai type. The handwoven construction and the clarity of the figural program reflect the technical control expected of accomplished Navajo weavers working within this established subject category. The piece is documented in Navajo Weavings with Ceremonial Themes by Valette and Valette, published in 2017, providing an independent published reference within the study of Navajo pictorial and ceremonial textiles.
The Valette collection provenance connects this rug to Rebecca and Jean-Paul Valette, the authors of the publication in which it is illustrated, giving it a direct link to two of the leading contemporary scholars of Navajo ceremonial weaving. Their 2017 publication is a primary reference work in the field, and inclusion as figure 6.6.20 places this rug within a documented corpus of Yeibichai examples selected for scholarly study. The combination of publication history and named collector provenance gives this textile a well documented place within the category of Navajo ceremonial pictorial weaving.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
