*** 46th Anniversary 1969-2015 of our American Indian Art Gallery now located in Aliso Viejo, California ***

Nation's largest selection of Antique American Indian Art,  Navajo Rugs and Navajo Blankets and old antique American Indian baskets

Jeff Wood, President ; Len Wood, Founder (Retired)

Important Classic Period bayeta serape, pre-1860. 55 by 73 inches.

Homespun churro wool with lac-dyed raveled yarn.

The bayeta in this blanket is derived from the cloth "Alepin", manufactured in Asiatic Turkey (Turkish Syria). The Spanish knew this cloth by the name "Cubica" and it was, as in this blanket, a thin worsted yarn of smooth , long staple wool.

The energy of this classic blanket is derived from a zig-zag motif possibly inspired by the Navajo wedding basket. The yellow dye is vegetal and provides the terraced motif that in turn creates the zig-zag pattern.

Traded from Indian hands between 1859 and 1871 at the Gage and Dryfus General Store in Junction City, Kansas, the blanket passed down to Merrill Gage, II a sculptor and member of the "Taos school" of artists and relative of Col. "Kit" Carson.

Provenience and documentation includes spectrophotometry tests, historic photo, expert correspondence.

One of the rarest and earliest Navajo weavings on the market today. Serious inquiries only please