Parfleche Envelope

The production of parfleches, like the horse and the nomadic way of life it provided Plains peoples, extended into the Plateau region through trade and cultural exchange. Although the tradition of parfleche painting is fundamentally one of geometric abstraction, a small number of works with floral imagery emerged in the late 19th century, undoubtedly derived from beaded designs. The maker of this rare envelope, while innovative, has retained the organizational structure usually found in this form of painting-a bilateral and latitudinal symmetry of composition and a repetition of design on each flap.