Artist unknown (Navajo, Diné)
Northern New Mexico or Arizona
Horse Headstall
INV-1804
Artist unknown (Navajo, Diné)
Northern New Mexico or Arizona1870s
navajodineamericasnative americanheadpiece (animal equipment)american decorative arts
Date
1870s
Medium
Silver and leather
Dimensions
Approx: H.: 61 cm (24 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Purchased with funds provided by Mrs. Muriel Kallis Newman in honor of Kathy Cottong, equestrian and Director of the Arts Club
During the 1860s and early 1870s, Navajo (or Diné) communities learned silversmithing from Hispanic artists in New Mexico, as well as from Native artists from Plains communities, whose own metalworking traditions stemmed from Colonial sources in the eastern United States. Mexican pesos, U.S. American dollars, and ingot silver were melted down and recast in molds carved from soft volcanic tufa. Navajo silversmiths employed steel tools and punches to develop decorative patterns. Early concho belts, bow guards, bracelets, necklaces, horse headstalls, and other items of silver jewelry display massive forms and simple ornamentation. By the 1890s turquoise was increasingly used; although most turquoise was obtained from Southwestern sources, some was imported from China and Iran. Navajo silversmiths rapidly established a distinctive elegant style that has become one of the classic hallmarks of Native American art in the greater Southwest. Today, Navajo jewelry, like that of their neighboring Pueblo neighbors, exhibit much greater complexity of design and the use of diverse semiprecious stones, shell, and a variety of metals.
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