North America, Northern United States / Canada, Inuit, Yupik or Aleut people, ca. mid-20th century CE. A beautiful wool felt and embroidered textile wall hanging known as a nivingajuliat. This red square of wool is stitched with applique felt pieces to create an interesting scene of people and a polar bear. In the background is an igloo and stitched lines indicating snow drifts on the red ground. In the foreground a man crouches behind a snow pile watching a reclining woman and polar bear. Another man lifts a woman above his head. The embroidery thread hangs freely in tassels from the women's heads and from the hems of the parkas, adding nice texture to the textile. These intricately sewn and imaginative scenes demonstrate the skill of the artisans. Traditionally women sewed and created these works as decorative items to sell and often depict traditional lives of arctic people and animals. The art form known as nivingajuliat developed from craft programs sponsored by the government in the 1960s. Size: 30" L x 27" W (76.2 cm x 68.6 cm)
Provenance: private Alamo collection, Alamo, California, USA, before 2000
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#167279
Condition
Intact and very good. Minor pilling to wool and small stains to verso. The lower left corner is stitched with a signature, impossible to discern.