Pair of Cuffs
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.A male powwow dancer wore these cuffs as part of his regalia. Although the beaded images appear to be nontraditional, they represent ancient Meskwaki concepts. The American eagle on the Great Seal of the United States suggests a Thunderbird, a powerful guardian spirit, and the shiny white and purple glass beads are reminiscent of earlier wampum, or clamshell beads filled with symbolic meaning. The cuffs epitomize the departure from tribal styles seen in the work of innovative twentieth-century Plains artists.
Artwork Details
- Title: Pair of Cuffs
- Date: ca. 1925
- Geography: United States, Iowa
- Culture: Meskwaki
- Medium: Cotton cloth, glass beads, native-tanned leather
- Dimensions: Height: 6 7/8 in. (17.5 cm)
Length: 13 7/8 in. (35.2 cm) - Classifications: Textiles-Costumes-Accessories, Beads-Costumes
- Credit Line: The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri, Purchase: the Donald D. Jones Fund for American Indian Art and gift of the Svacina Family (2002.1.A,B)
- Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing