Experts in Finding Rare Tribal Art for Your Collecting Interests. AN UNPRECEDENTED ANTIQUE ANDEAN INDIAN TAPESTRY BLANKET FROM THE BOLIVIAN PLATEAU. Provenance: Field-collected at San Agustín Pueblo, Bolivian Altiplano, elevation about 12,600 feet, Enrique Baldiviezo Province, Department of Potosí, Bolivia, South America. This special lot consists of an antique, beautiful, interesting and historically important Andean weft-faced blanket collected south of Salar de Uyuni (the worlds largest salt lake) near the border with Argentina. This indigenous Native American Indian weft-faced tapestry blanket was woven in two separate halves that were carefully joined together. It was woven on a primitive, provisional, horizontal ground loom of prehistoric style consisting of loose sticks. These unique blankets were woven for shoulder wear and for bedding, depending on their size, weight and suppleness. In general, they were locally called kama phullu by their Quechua (Kichwa) weavers. The dark brown (almost black) field of TM7595 was woven with mixed, lightly variegated natural llama and sheep wool. The lateral designs vary in size and color combinations from one side to the other, which is very unusual for Andean textiles. They consist of stair-stepped patterns in three-color combinations, not unlike certain Navajo Indian and Rio Grande blankets from the late-19th century. The field is enhanced with 10 attractive and colorful composite designs in hexagonal or diamond-shaped patterns. Each is further divided into numerous connected diamond or triangular forms, each consisting of from two to numerous colors. The incongruous lateral designs are bizarre and wonderful. One side consists mostly of salmon-colored yarns with fine, checkered zigzags; the other side is dominated by beautiful rust red colors (richer than the photos suggest) with accompanying large, stair-stepped zigzags. None of the colors are garish and all work well together. This relatively supple blanket was woven with an average of about 5 1/2 warps per inch and 25 wefts per inch. Weft-faced tapestry blankets are known from only a few localities in the Andes; their presence in Potosí was first reported by our own ICB investigators. The actual weaving process employed diagonal lazy lines that are often found on Navajo rugs and Mayo Indian blankets from North America and typically seen in kelim (kilim) textiles from the Middle East. We especially like this piece for the a-symmetrical color palette throughout. It is easy to appreciate these Southwest-like blankets for their iconographic relationship to North American examples, which we have yet to understand historically. It is also nice to see old Indian blankets in relatively fine condition; the great majority of field-collected examples of this age are in poor to fair condition (see below). This is an excellent old Indian blanket that is interesting, visually attractive and in nicely-displayable condition. Please refer to the ANDES AMAZON “DATING” TERMS. Materials: Hand-spun natural and dyed, one-ply sheep wool and llama wool. Approximate Size: 68 inches by 50 inches. Condition: EXCELLENT, used, guarded condition. This antique blanket is lightly and evenly worn throughout; there are no holes. There is light wear along the edges with a few tiny spots showing exposed, but not broken, warps. There are also a couple of spots along the edge with irregular wefts that were probably broken during the weaving process they are practically impossible to detect. Some of the dyed colors have muted beautifully with age. One side, especially, has very limited light dye transfer from blue and red colors. This is neither unsightly nor extensive but does exist; it is more noticeable in the photos than with the textile in-hand. For the most part, the colors are strong and clean. When the two sides of the blanket were joined, a single, short, low fold was created on one side (probably not as noticeable as in the photos). This is a minimal blemish considering the age, size, use and beauty of the textile. Overall, the textile is in wonderful, beautifully displayable condition. Furthermore, this tribal textile is just gorgeous. Please see the PHOTOS and refer to the AKATAKSA TEXTILE “CONDITION” TERMS. DURING THE VIRUS PANDEMIC. International Bolivian postal service is suspended during the C-19 pandemic. In 12 to 14 days. AND INCLUDE TRACKING NUMBERS FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE. ANDES AMAZON “DATING” TERMS. PREHISTORIC, PRE-COLUMBIAN, ANCIENT = Before around A. 18TH CENTURY = A. 19th CENTURY = 1800 to 1899. TURN OF THE 19TH CENTURY = 1890 to 1910. EARLY-20TH CENTURY = 1900 to 1933. MID-20TH CENTURY = 1934 to 1966. LATE-20TH CENTURY = 1967 to 1999. TURN OF THE 20TH CENTURY = 1995 to 2005. EARLY-21ST CENTURY = 2000 to Present. ANTIQUE = Over 50 years old. VINTAGE = Over 30 years old. CONTEMPORARY = Made in the last 5 years. CIRCA = Approximately/around/within a few years of. ANDES AMAZON TEXTILE CONDITION TERMS. Terms used to describe the physical condition of textiles can be subjective and vary greatly from one observer to another. What some others call mint condition, we call good; what others call excellent condition, we call fair. Following are explanations of the terms we use. MINT = Like new. Unused — as if recently removed from the loom. No wear or patina of any kind. These textiles may have nubs or even loose, uncut threads from the weaving process. EXCELLENT = Usually only lightly used, often guarded or stored for many years. There may be extremely light wear, patina and sheen from use. There may also be nearly undetectable light staining or soiling from use. The colors may have muted ever so slightly due to age or exposure, often improving the beauty of a textile. VERY GOOD = Usually lightly or only periodically used. The surface may be very lightly but evenly worn. There are no tears or distracting holes. There may be minimal surface discoloration. Vintage textiles may have lightly darkened yarn from use and age (staining and soiling). Overall, the textile will be in outstanding condition and at a displayable distance will appear perfect. GOOD = Usually moderately to well-used. There may be light to medium staining, isolated or throughout. Some parts of the textile may be worn or have very small holes, occasionally exposing hidden thread yarns. Edges may be lightly frayed. Surface discoloration due to age and exposure is common but often improving the appearance of a textile. There may be minor, light or isolated, dye run. Damage will not distract significantly from the textile when displayed. FAIR = Either well-used or moderately abused. Extensive wear is common as is some bleeding or dye run. In most 20th century cases, the colors have considerably faded. Sections of fringe or tassels may be missing. Textiles may be in otherwise excellent condition but with a single isolated sector of damage, that greatly reduces its aesthetic appeal. Most vintage tribal textiles on the market are in FAIR TO GOOD condition. POOR = Showing evidence of extreme usage and damage. These textiles do not display well and are primarily useful as study specimens or examples of sometimes very rare textiles. We believe the world deserves improving. We believe in a higher, aspiring destination for humanity. We know that conflicts decline through mutual respect. We know that understanding our differences leads to mutual wellbeing. We trust that our Mother Earth and our Universe provide unlimited resources for every man, woman and child to live in peace, happiness and love. As stewards of the human race, our intrinsic responsibility rests on improving our world as much as possible. Native groups, also known as tribal folk, original residents, indigenous people, aboriginals, First Nations, traditional ethnicities, autochthonous societies, autochthonal cultures, et. Dominated human existence until recently. At some point, of course, we all shared common ancestors regardless of current culture, creed or color. Regrettably, however, in the past 500 years or so, thousands of unique tribal groups disappeared due to misunderstanding and impudence. Uncontrolled aspects of colonialism, ethnocentrism, racism and politicization led to the direct and circuitous destruction of myriad native groups, each representing a valuable resource for our planet. Over 6000 of the nearly 7000 languages currently spoken face danger of extinction. The vast majority of those constitute ethnic indigenous tongues. We believe in cherishing and carefully supporting the very few Native groups that remain on earth, even while standing on the brink of losing them. Disconnecting with indigenous spirit, wisdom and traditional knowledge represents a loss for all of us. In many cases, physical creations represent our only resources for understanding past human beliefs and aspirations. For more than a quarter century, the professional interests of those behind ANDESAMAZON remain dedicated to documenting traditional South American indigenous cultures, especially through their material culture. Our field studies lead us to some of the most remote people on the continent. Through the years, we witnessed certain Native Americans existing nearly exactly as their ancestors did in prehistoric times and others jumping from 18th century existence to 21st century reality in the blink of an eye. The benefits of our ethnographic investigations manifest as valuable data related to linguistics, cultural history, ethno-environmental relationships, socio-cultural organization, cosmology, mythology, spirituality and of course, material culture. Our holistic approach to understanding the past through material arts contributes authentic information related to the people who created those pieces. Not only can beautiful and interesting objects enhance ones´ personal environment, but they also provide invaluable knowledge regarding different ideologies, unique ways of life and past or nearly extinct traditions. ANDESAMAZON suggests sharing with companions, friends and especially children, whatever understanding, knowledge and insights you obtain from our objects. In this small way, we feel inspired in preserving something of native cultures and making the world a better place. Thank you for working with us. THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST AND SUPPORT. The item “EXTRAORDINARILY BEAUTIFUL INDIAN TAPESTRY BLANKET Antique Andes Textile TM7595″ is in sale since Thursday, December 27, 2018. This item is in the category “Antiques\Ethnographic\Native American”. The seller is “andesamazon” and is located in Santa Cruz, . This item can be shipped worldwide.