Columbia Plateau
Circa 1910
Glass beads on hide with fringe
Length 15 in. (38.1 cm)
Provenance: Private collection, Colorado
Beaded gauntlets with American patriotic imagery were produced across the Columbia Plateau in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, reflecting the complex cultural engagement between Plateau peoples and American national symbolism during the reservation era. This pair depicts a bald eagle in flight clutching an American flag on each cuff, rendered in naturalistic colors against a turquoise blue ground with a dark bordered edge, the imagery executed with notable precision and compositional confidence. The eagle and flag subject was among the most elaborate patriotic motifs adopted by Plateau beaders and appears most frequently on gauntlets and bags made for parade, rodeo, and ceremonial use.
The beadwork covers the full cuff surface in lane stitch with detailed color work in the eagle feathers and flag stripes, demonstrating the technical proficiency characteristic of early twentieth century Plateau production. Scholars have interpreted the adoption of American patriotic imagery in Plateau beadwork as a form of cultural assertion rather than simple assimilation, with Native beaders engaging national symbols on their own aesthetic terms. From a private collection in Colorado.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Columbia Plateau
Circa 1910
Glass beads on hide with fringe
Length 15 in. (38.1 cm)
Provenance: Private collection, Colorado
Beaded gauntlets with American patriotic imagery were produced across the Columbia Plateau in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, reflecting the complex cultural engagement between Plateau peoples and American national symbolism during the reservation era. This pair depicts a bald eagle in flight clutching an American flag on each cuff, rendered in naturalistic colors against a turquoise blue ground with a dark bordered edge, the imagery executed with notable precision and compositional confidence. The eagle and flag subject was among the most elaborate patriotic motifs adopted by Plateau beaders and appears most frequently on gauntlets and bags made for parade, rodeo, and ceremonial use.
The beadwork covers the full cuff surface in lane stitch with detailed color work in the eagle feathers and flag stripes, demonstrating the technical proficiency characteristic of early twentieth century Plateau production. Scholars have interpreted the adoption of American patriotic imagery in Plateau beadwork as a form of cultural assertion rather than simple assimilation, with Native beaders engaging national symbols on their own aesthetic terms. From a private collection in Colorado.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
