Bird And Cornstalk Rug

Bird And Cornstalk Rug

1983
Artist
Ason Yellowhair, Navajo, American, ca. 1930 - 1 May 2013
Born: Arizona
Work Locations: Smoke Signal, AZ
Active Dates: 1950s-1990s
Culture
Navajo
Style/Tradition
pictorial
Object
rug
Medium
wool and dye
Accession Number
1984.4
Credit Line
The Gloria F. Ross Collection of Contemporary Navajo Weaving of the Denver Art Museum

Ason Yellowhair (Navajo, c. 1930-2013), Bird and Cornstalk Rug, 1983. Wool and dye; 94 x 131 in. The Gloria F. Ross Collection of Contemporary Navajo Weaving at the Denver Art Museum, 1984.4

Dimensions
height: 94 in, 238.7600 cm; width: 131 in, 332.7400 cm
Department
Native Arts
Collection
Indigenous Arts of North America
Ason Yellowhair’s unique style is characterized by a large horizontal format, simple borders, and several rows of plants and birds running perpendicular to the weaving direction. She has shared her skill with her family, continuing a tradition that's been passed down from one generation to the next. This type of Navajo weaving is referred to as a pictorial rug. Although these rugs became common in the late 1800s, they were not sold as “art” until the 1900s. According to her daughter, Yellowhair based the stylized plants on Wrigley’s Spearmint Chewing Gum wrappers. The border is made up of a geometric pattern that is repeated all the way around the edge of the rug, framing the picture in the center.
Known Provenance
Asan Yellowhair, Smoke Signal, AZ, about 1983; [J. B. Tanner Trading Company], Gallup, NM, 1983-1984; Purchased by the Denver Art Museum, 9 February 1984.