Antique Native American Painted Parfleche Box, Plateau, 19th Century

View Similar Items

Plateau Parfleche Envelope, 19th Century Native American Rawhide Art

19th Century Plateau Parfleche

19th Century Native American Corn Husk Plateau Bag

Pair Plateau Parfleche Packets

19th Century Native American Athabaskan Snowshoes

Plateau Parfleche Envelope, circa 1900

19th Century Native American Crow Woman's Saddle

19th Century Native American Crow Beaded Saddle

Native American Plateau Beaded Belt Strip

19th Century Native American Penobscot Bear Paw Snowshoes

19th Century Native American Ball Head War Club

19th Century Native American Hidatsa Arikara Medicine Shirt

About the Item

A rare box form constructed of rawhide and intricately painted in an abstract design with natural pigments and red trade cloth. This was created by a North American Indian living in the Plateau cultural area - encompassing portions of what is now northern Idaho, western Montana, northeast and central Oregon, eastern Washington and southeast British Columbia. The tribes from this region include Kalispel, Flathead, Kutenai, Palus, Coeur D'Alene and Nez Perce. Parfleches are rawhide containers which were fundamental to the Plains way of life. Functioning essentially as protective travelling suitcases, they enabled the nomadic tribes to effectively pursue buffalo herds and migrate between seasonal camps. So critical were they to a nomadic existence that over 40 tribes are known to have historically produced parfleches. Collectively, these tribes inhabited an area which encompassed the entirety of the Plains, as well as the parts of the Southwest, the Transmontane and Western Plateau regions. Parfleches were, out of necessity, robust and versatile objects. They were designed to carry and protect within them anything from medicinal bundles to seasonal clothing or food. In fact, it was because of the containers’ robusticity and variety that parfleches earned their name in the Anglo world. Derived from parer (to parry or turn aside) and fleche (arrow), the word parfleche was coined by 17th century French Canadian voyageurs and used to describe indigenous objects made from rawhide. Despite their common utilitarian function, parfleches served as one of the major mediums through which Plains Indian tribes could develop their long-standing tradition of painting. In fact, it is in large part due to the parfleche that tribal style emerged. Even though parfleche painting developed simultaneously with beading and weaving, painting as an artistic tradition held particular importance in tribal culture. Believed to have evolved from tattooing, it had always been used as a conduit through which tribal and individual identity could be expressed. As such, many tribeswomen were deeply committed, some even religiously, to decorating their parfleche either with incised or painted motifs that were significant to them and/or the tribe. For some tribes, such as the Cheyenne, the decorative processes which surrounded parfleche production were sacred. For others, it seems that their parfleche designs shared an interesting artistic dialogue with their beadwork, indicating a more casual exchange of design motifs. This particular relationship can be seen in Crow parfleche/beadwork motifs. Nevertheless, each tribe contributed a unique element to parfleche design. The painted and carved motifs we see today vividly demonstrate just how highly evolved the Plains artisans’ sense of color palette and spatial composition was. In recent decades, this appreciation for parfleche painted designs has inspired many modern artists.

Dimensions:
Height: 8 in (20.32 cm)Width: 18.5 in (46.99 cm)Depth: 9 in (22.86 cm)
Style:
Native American (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Hide,Painted
Place of Origin:
United States
Period:
19th Century
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1890
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. Minor structural damages. very good vintage condition.
Seller Location:
Denver, CO
Reference Number:
Seller: DCG-192601stDibs: LU100464921353

More From This Seller

View All

Plateau Parfleche Envelope, 19th Century Native American Rawhide Art

By Plateau Indians

Located in Denver, CO

This exceptional hand-painted parfleche envelope is a striking example of 19th-century Native American art from the Plateau cultural region. Crafted from rawhide and adorned with bol...

Category

Antique Late 19th Century North American Native American Native American...

Materials

Hide

Plateau Parfleche Envelope, 19th Century Native American Rawhide Art

$7,200

Circa 1880 Antique Cheyenne Plains Native American Beaded Leggings, 19th Century

By Native American Art

Located in Denver, CO

This stunning pair of antique 19th-century Cheyenne Plains Tobacco Society beaded leggings, dating back to the 1880s, showcases the artistry and cultur...

Category

Antique Late 19th Century American Native American Native American Objects

Materials

Hide, Beads

Circa 1880 Antique Cheyenne Plains Native American Beaded Leggings, 19th Century

$4,500

19th-Century Kiowa-Apache Beaded Hide Bag, Native American Plains Artifact

By Native American Art

Located in Denver, CO

This rare and beautifully preserved 19th-century Kiowa-Apache hide bag is an exceptional example of Native American Plains artistry and craftsmanship. Expertly hand-stitched from nat...

Category

Antique 19th Century American Native American Native American Objects

Materials

Hide, Beads

19th-Century Kiowa-Apache Beaded Hide Bag, Native American Plains Artifact

$2,650

19th C. Plains Native American Roach Headdress, Deer & Porcupine Hair

By Native American Art

Located in Denver, CO

This exceptional 19th-century Plains Indian roach headdress is a rare and visually striking example of traditional Native American ceremonial regalia. ...

Category

Antique 19th Century American Native American Native American Objects

Materials

Fur

19th C. Plains Native American Roach Headdress, Deer & Porcupine Hair

$3,750

Circa 1880 Salish Appliqued Moccasins, Native American Plateau, Deer Hide

By Native American Art

Located in Denver, CO

Step into the 19th century with this exceptional pair of antique appliqued moccasins, attributed to the Salish (Flathead) peoples of the Plateau region, circa 1880. These rare moccas...

Category

Antique 1880s American Native American Native American Objects

Materials

Hide, Thread

Circa 1880 Salish Appliqued Moccasins, Native American Plateau, Deer Hide

$4,500 / set

Antique Native American Hopi Kachina Doll 'HeHeya Clown', Early 20th Century

By Native American Art

Located in Denver, CO

This antique Hopi HeHeya Clown Kachina doll, created in the first quarter of the 20th century, is a beautifully crafted representation of a traditional H...

Category

Early 20th Century American Native American Native American Objects

Materials

Wood

Antique Native American Hopi Kachina Doll 'HeHeya Clown', Early 20th Century

$9,500

Antique Late 19th Century American Native American Native American Objects

Materials

Other

19th Century Plateau Parfleche

$1,400

19th Century Native American Corn Husk Plateau Bag

Located in Los Angeles, CA

This very fine exceptional early 19th century native American Indian corn husk plateau bag. Fine condition with a fantastic patch repair on one side.

Category

Antique 19th Century American Adirondack Quilts and Blankets

Materials

Wool

19th Century Native American Corn Husk Plateau Bag

$2,495

Pair Plateau Parfleche Packets

By Plateau Indians

Located in Coeur d'Alene, ID

Matched pair of Plateau parfleche packets with diamonds and stylized flowers and brain tanned ties. Difficult to find a pair. Very nice, rare design. The term parfleche was first co...

Category

Antique Early 1900s American Native American Native American Objects

Materials

Other

Pair Plateau Parfleche Packets

$9,680 / item

19th Century Native American Athabaskan Snowshoes

Located in Coeur d'Alene, ID

Athabaskan snowshoe pair with wood frames having finely woven sinew front and back with heavy rawhide centers. String wrapped toes and wonderful golden patina. Ex. James B. Scoville ...

Category

Antique Mid-19th Century American Native American Native American Objects

Materials

Wood

19th Century Native American Athabaskan Snowshoes

$4,500 / set

Plateau Parfleche Envelope, circa 1900

By Plateau Indians

Located in Coeur d'Alene, ID

Plateau painted parfleche envelope painted in green, blue, orange, yellow and red. Period: circa 1900 Origin: Plateau Size: 28" L x 12" W. Family ...

Category

Antique Early 1900s American Native American Native American Objects

Materials

Other

Plateau Parfleche Envelope, circa 1900

$4,500

19th Century Native American Crow Woman's Saddle

By Crow

Located in Coeur d'Alene, ID

Wood and Horn frame wrapped in rawhide with wooden stirrups. Original harness leather stitching complete with buffalo hide seat pad. Brain tanned bands attac...

Category