Late Classic Mexican Saltillo Serape Blanket Provenance

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Late Classic Mexican Saltillo Serape Blanket Provenance

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Sold Date: 12/27/2006
Channel: Online Auction
Source: eBay
Category: Ethnic, Folk & Native American Art

Up for auction is a hand woven Late Classic Mexican Saltillo Serape (Sarape) blanket with aggregate-diamond Saltillo center. Based on the provenance the blanket was collected in the 1890s. It comes from our private collection and a non-smoking home. Finely woven with very soft hand spun native wool in rich vivid colors, this Saltillo serape is 76" long and 44" wide. This serape represents the best of the aggregate-diamond Saltillo design, which was predominant during the second half of the nineteenth century. The yarns are handspun with wool weft yarn on a cotton warp foundation. The serape was woven in two panels on a classic Spanish horizontal loom, and is joined with slip stitched seam at the center. For its age and ethnographic use the blanket is in excellent condition, with no fading, stains, bleeding, odor, or moth damage. However, as shown in the photos, t is edge damage on both ends and on one side, and body damage consisting of loss of weft yarns and some broken warp. Nevertheless, the integrity of the piece is not compromised, and the beauty of the textile is still evident, as it displays great as a wall hanging.

As a textile art form the Saltillo sarape was developed and utilized by the inhabitants of Northern and Western Mexico in the late 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, with a decline in the early 20th century. So distinctive were the products of the looms of Northern Mexico that many travelers commented on the weaving industry, particularly upon the beauty and the utility of the Saltillo sarape. Throughout its development the Saltillo sarape became a useful and prized possession as well as a sought-after collector's item.

This serape has a great PROVENANCE too . It was part of the collection of George Parker Winship.

George Parker Winship, while a student at Harvard University, translated Pedro de Castaneda's journal of Coronado 's 1540-1542 quests for the Seven Cities of Cibola . The Castaneda's narrative, as translated and edited by George Parker Winship, was first published in 1896 in the Fourteenth Annual Report of the U.S. Bureau of American Ethnology. Accompanied by other documents, including letters from Coronado , the report also featured Winship's Historical Introduction to the expedition. Eight years later, Winship revised and corrected the translation for publication under the title The Journey of Coronado , 1540-1542.

Fulcrum Publishing republished an edited version in 1990. In his introduction, Dr. Donald C. Cutter assesses Winship's translation as still authoritative, hence the republication.

According to the family of George Parker Winship, he would have amassed his collection while exploring the Southwest in the 1890s. While in the area, he has visited El Moro National Monument because it was an oasis visited by Coronado . The family believes he has located an inscription at El Moro of Coronado 's initials. According to family lore, some of these artifacts in his collection were pulled from the bottom of abandoned wells. Some bear catalog numbers, but t are no corresponding notes or catalogs.

The blanket comes with a certificate of authenticity and provenance from the Art Gallery w it was bought, and this document will be provided ONLY to the winner of this auction.

Buyer pays $39 for shipping and insurance by USPS Priority Mail. Insurance is required (seller is not responsible for the loss or damage of uninsured items). Sold as is, all sales are final. Item will be shipped 24 hours after the payment by money order or PayPal, personal checks take 7-10 days to clear the bank. Buyer must contact the seller within the 3 days of the auction end with the full address and zip code. Payment must be received within 10 days of the auction end. Thank you for viewing this auction.