Brazilwood Rio Grande Blanket

Item: 1506

Origins: Spanish Colonial New Mexican
Date:  Mid 19th Century

Media: Wool

Dimensions: 94″ by 48″

Description: This is one the best Brazilwood Rio Grande blankets that I have ever seen.  The condition is amazing, with all existing knots at each end and only minor restoration to a few spots.  The colors are pure and crisp.  The choice of colors, and their play with each other, makes this an exceptional blanket.   Take a good look at the photos and see for yourself.  The beading is great in its detailing (referring to the ticking quality of the weft where the design becomes dashes across the field).  In contrast to this are the solid bands of color adjacent to each other, such as indigo next to dark brown, then next to brazilwood (the lighter tan color).  There is very little white used in this blanket, so where it shows up it is bold and highly contrasting to the rest of the blanket field.  The green is rich and solid.  It is often used adjacent to a bright yellow weft and as well with the lighter indigo blue. The indigo is the pure and beautiful tone of blue – not too light and not too dark. The colors all together gives this blanket a tremendous amount of life.

There are bundled wraps along the sides and in the center.  This tells us that the whole blanket was woven at once on a narrow loom with the warps doubling up with a layer below the top layer.  The grouped warps in the center allow for the turn that the wefts must make to complete the entire width.  This is an ingenious way to weave a blanket as a whole piece without a center seam.

Condition:  Condition is excellent with minor restoration.

Provenance: A private collection in Southern California

Price: On request