Rug
ClassificationsTextiles-floor coverings-rugs and mats
Culture
Navajo
Datec. 1900
Made AtUnited States, North America
MediumWool and pigment
Dimensions82 × 54 in. (208.3 × 137.2 cm)
Credit LineGift of Dennis Aigner
Object number2018.8.2
DescriptionThis Navajo wool rug is characterized by its high contrast central motif of a cross surrounded by four triangles. The origin of this piece is unidentified, but triangles, diamonds and crosses all held important meaning within Navajo culture, the first two representative of the Navajo homeland, and the latter synonymous with the whirling log or swastika. There is some evidence that the design was inspired by early sand paintings, but this has yet to be substantiated. Swastikas were important to the Navajo as both a symbol from their Night Chant, a healing ceremony, and as a visual representation of the phrase, “successfully attaining a ripe old age by daily spiritual renewal according to the universal beauty of the cosmos.” This usage was probably done at the behest of Western traders interested in using Asian symbols in stimulating the purchase of rugs on the East Coast.On View
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