A Cree beaded shelf valence Prince Albert area

A Cree beaded shelf valence

Prince Albert area, Saskatchewan, Canada

cloth, velveteen, coloured glass and cut steel beads, the front with a floral and leaf spray with a series of steel bead crosses and interspersed lines to the top, the scalloped base with hooped tassels, with a metal rim tag inscribed N. Amer. Indian (Sioux) Battleford, Sioux or Blackfoot Indn, circa 1890,

60cm wide, 28.5cm deep.

Provenance

Colin F. Taylor Collection, Hastings.

Michael G. Johnson Collection.

Exhibited

Sacred Circles, Two Thousand Years of North American Indian Art, Hayward Gallery, London, 7 Oct 1976 - 16 Jan 1977 and Nelson Gallery of Art, Atkins Gallery of Fine Arts, Kansas City, Missouri, 1977

Published

Sacred Circles, Two Thousand Years of North American Indian Art, Arts Council 1976, p.177, no.448. Described as a Santee/Sioux Drum Cover. Lent by C. F. Taylor Collection, Hastings.

These shelf valences were used in trappers' cabins or traders' houses and made in the style similar to the drum covers of earlier times. It has been suggested that the cut steel work along the top could represent stars or a map of hunting sites and trails.

Battleford is a small town in Saskatchewan close to the Alberta border.