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Osage Woman's Wearing Friendship Blanket

Currency:USD Category:Art Start Price:1,250.00 USD Estimated At:5,000.00 - 7,000.00 USD
Osage Woman's Wearing Friendship Blanket
<B>Osage Woman's Friendship Blanket</B></I><BR>Circa 1900<BR>Length 55 1/2 in. Width 68 1/2 in.<BR><BR>The navy blue wool blanket is decorated with silk ribbon appliqué work using traditional Osage geometric designs. Vertical bands of ribbon work decorate the sides of the blanket and the pattern is repeated across the bottom. The blanket is further decorated with five red silk hands outlined with white beads. Commenting on a similar example Ralph T. Coe states: "Large wearing blankets with silk ribbon appliqué borders developed in Oklahoma around the turn of the century, particularly among the Osage and Oto peoples. They reached a peak in production during the height of the oil boom in Oklahoma in the 1920s and 1930s. Osage families made fortunes from the oil on their lands, and their lifestyle became increasingly comfortable. Accompanying this extravagance was an elaboration in dress that marks a high point in Osage couture, and beautifully patterned wearing blankets such as this one became de rigueur. They are still worn by prominent Osage women at important occasions. Draped across the back, they are folded across the shoulders. The beaded hand symbols on this example, a special feature not always included, signify friendship."<BR><BR>Provenance<BR>Morning Star Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico.<BR><BR>Reference<BR>Coe, Ralph T., <I>The Responsive Eye,</B></I> Yale University Press, New Haven, 2003, p. 241.<BR><BR>