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PEDIGREE & PROVENANCE Art Words & Terms


parfleche(s)

(par flesh--plural also)

What is it?

The material, parfleche, is rawhide produced, originally, from the buffalo. Parfleche, a French Canadian word, literally means "to parry (or turn aside) arrows".

What was its use?

Native Americans from the plains through the northwest used it to produce shields and, most often, carrying cases. Such cases--called "parfleches"--were made by folding, tieing then painting the lye-soaked, dried hide.

Who made the parfleches?

Since parfleches were used to transport domestic goods as the tribes roamed, women produced them.

Why are parfleches important?

The colorful patterns painted on the varied and interesting travel cases had both aesthetic and spiritual significance for all the tribe.

As a cultural metaphor--versus a colorfully painted parfleche--a matched set of Louis Vuitton luggage pales in comparsion.



View Native American Jewelry for sale at BIDDINGTON'S.






More PEDIGREE & PROVENANCE:
P&P: Abstract Expressionism
P&P: architectonic
P&P: Arte Povera
P&P: Ash Can School
P&P: bronze patina
P&P: citrine
P&P: Colorfield painting
P&P: Greek columns
P&P: Conceptual Art
P&P: coromandel
P&P: depression glass
P&P: enamel
P&P: encaustic
P&P: etching
P&P: faux
P&P: foreshortening
P&P: gouache
P&P: Iconography & Iconology
P&P: New Image painting
P&P: Newcomb pottery
P&P: parfleche
P&P: Pop Art
P&P: porcelain
P&P: realism
P&P: Senufo
P&P: Surrealism
P&P: turquoise

ABOUT THIS FEATURE

In the art & antiques world, experts bandy about arcane words as though they were part of everyone's standard vocabulary. To a fledgling collector, this practice can be maddening. In PEDIGREE & PROVENANCE, BIDDINGTON'S picks a word or phrase and gives it a good, hard going over: defining it, explaining it and showing how to use it.

Glance regularly at PEDIGREE & PROVENANCE, and soon you'll be able to toss those obscure phrases back at the experts with confidence and agility and be fully prepared to bid on items at BIDDINGTON'S upmarket, online art & antiques auctions.

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