Rug

Description

This rectangular wool rug was created by a Navajo (Diné) weaver from the American southwest. It features three vertical bands of decorative elements against a light grey background. At the center is the depiction of a figure, arms outstretched, wearing an indigo-blue and red striped dress. Above and below the figure are large white stepped fields enclosing black geometric cross shapes. Every corner of the central line has a small white rectangle terminus outlined with a dark border. Flanking the central element are two vertical stripes all connected by a solid black line, each beginning and ending with a stepped pyramid shape and having two sets of two white crosses with stepped geometric dark borders and a mid-point of a small white rectangle with a black border. The inner field surrounding the central figure also holds four equidistant, eight-pointed red star shapes. These design elements are highly unusual for Navajo (Diné) weaving and likely reflect a specific cultural meaning and purpose with an important deity in the center. It is not known when or why this rug left the community, but such rugs were collected and became influential in North American design and modernism. The rug’s role within Navajo heritage needs further study and interpretation respecting its spiritual imagery and meanings.