Rug
ClassificationsTextiles-floor coverings-rugs and mats
Culture
Navajo
Datec. 1920
Made AtNew Mexico, United States
MediumWool
Dimensions51 × 103 in. (129.5 × 261.6 cm)
Credit LineGift of Dennis J. Aigner
Object number2014.10.2
DescriptionThe eight pointed star design seen on this rug is referred to as the Vallero Star. This name comes from the Spanish Colonial blankets that were being created with the motif in the Rio Grande Valley. Although Navajo weavers also employed this design, it is thought that it originated from a similar pattern that was frequently used in American patchwork quilts. The use of this design in Navajo weaving perhaps points the influence traders held over the Navajo weavers in the mid to late 19th century. Rugs from this time were designed for commercial purposes and as such lost much of the early design and craftsmanship present from previous times. This is underscored by the fact that two-thirds of the blankets the Navajo wove in the 1890s were produced for nontribal use. Because demand for these rugs increased, traders encouraged the weavers to employ nontraditional stylistic elements.On View
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