A Navajo Late Classic Second Phase chief's blanket

Woven with alternating brown and cream bands flanked by pairs of indigo-dyed bands enclosing a trio of aniline-dyed red bars bisected by a thin brown stripe.
size approximately 5ft 5in x 4ft 5 1/2in

For a close example of the type with similar aniline-dyed red blocks, dated circa 1865-1875, see Navajo Blankets from the Collection of Tony Berlant, 1990, Palm Springs Desert Museum, Palm Springs, CA, p.10. "Weaving evolved into a lucrative occupation for the Navajo in the 1700s. Early Navajo blankets were the functional 'wearing blankets' (garments) or saddlethrows. Since Spanish textiles were of such poor quality, there was heavy demand from the white settlers for fine Navajo blankets. As their weavings acquired the status of fine collectibles, the Navajo began to produce styles and patterns to accommodate their customers.", Ibid, p.7