Parfleche flat case

Unknown

ca. 1850 · Bison rawhide, pigment, and tanned leather · The American Wing

This flat rawhide case, called a parfleche, was used to transport important belongings from one camp to the next. Its surface provides a luminous ground for the painted bold, colorful geometric shapes and delicate, black and brown graphic elements. The case would be hung from the pommel of a saddle, with the long fringe registering the movements of both horse and wind. Plains women also made parfleche cylinders, envelopes, and boxes; the term originated with French fur traders.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1850

Medium

Bison rawhide, pigment, and tanned leather

Culture

Comanche, Native American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

The Charles and Valerie Diker Collection of Native American Art, Gift of Charles and Valerie Diker, 2019