Blanket strip

Unknown

ca. 1830 · Tanned leather and glass beads · The American Wing

The cross within a circle, the principal design element on this blanket strip, is one of the most visually powerful motifs in Plains art; it symbolizes the circle of the world, the four directions, and the sacred center—concepts fundamental to Plains worldviews. The massive strip also conveys wealth and prestige. The beading is a blend of shorter lane-stitch rows and the longer spot-stitch method, resulting in thousands of contrasting blue and white antique beads affixed to the leather. As glass beads became more plentiful through trade in the early decades of the nineteenth century, artists increasingly used them to present community affiliations, connections to place, or status.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1830

Medium

Tanned leather and glass beads

Culture

Central Plains, probably Lakota/Teton Sioux, Native American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

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