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Lot 41 : RARE AND UNUSUAL NAVAJO GERMANTOWN PORTIERE

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RARE AND UNUSUAL NAVAJO GERMANTOWN PORTIERE
two long panels woven in one piece with a selvedged split up the center; each side decorated with a chain of connected stepped and quartered diamonds; the center lozenges with the initials C.G.A. and T.Y.A.; whirling logs and small crosses in the corners; terraced borders and banded ends; multicolored fringe around the entire perimeter, thick tassels in the corners, in red, brown, green, black, white, yellow, and gray yarns; 7' by 5'4"
Provenance: Bonhams and Butterfields, San Francisco, 12/6/2004;
Ethnographic Art, lot 1381
Purchased in 1975 from the family of one of the former Superintendents of the Grand Canyon National Park. Purportedly, the portiere hung in his office at the Grand Canyon until his superior visited him from Washington, DC in the early days of WW II. He was ordered to take it down due to the similarity of the Native American whirling logs to the swastika. Family lore also held that the initials represented the two 80 year old Navajo sisters who wove the piece. Another possibility is that they are the initials for whom it was woven. There is a reference in early brochures by JB Moore and CN Cotton of using weavings as portieres, but none are pictured. There is mention of two portieres in the Hubbell Trading Post home, used to cover a large open closet.
This piece may be a unique example of such a form.

Estimate: $8,000 - $12,000
Realized: $4,000 - Excluding Buyer's Premium


Absence of a condition statement does not imply the lot is in perfect condition, free from flaws, restoration, or the effects of aging. Condition requests can be obtained via email or telephone to our gallery. Any condition statement given either verbally or written is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. CRN bears no responsibility for error or omission. All items are sold as is. All sales are final.