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Exhibition History"The 45th Annual Winter Antique Show," New York, NY, January 12, 1999 – January 25, 1999.
"Art Des Indiens D'Amerique Du Nord Dans La Collection D'Eugene Thaw," Mona Bismarck Foundation, Paris, France, Somogy Editions D'Art, January 21, 2000 - March 18, 2000.
"Treasures from the Thaw Collection," Wheelwright Museum of American Indian Art. Santa Fe, NM, May 1, 2000 - December 31, 2000.
"Art of the American Indian: The Thaw Collection," The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH, March 2, 2010 - May 30, 2010; Minneapolis Museum of Art, Minneapolis, MN, October 24, 2010 - January 9, 2011; Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX, April 24, 2011 - September 23, 2011; Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, IN, December 4, 2011 - February 12, 2012.
ProvenanceAcquired from Nez Perce Indians at Nespelem, Washington; Jerrie and Anne Vander Houwen, Yakima, Washington; Howard Roloff, Victoria, British Columbia; Jonathan Holstein, Cazenovia, New York; Morning Star Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico
BibliographyVincent, Gilbert T. Masterpieces of American Indian Art. New York: Harry Abrams, 1995, p.45.
Vincent, Gilbert et al. Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection. Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2000, p.182.
Cowdrey, Mike and Ned & Jody Martin. American Indian Horse Masks. Nicasio, CA: Hawk Hill Press, 2006, p. 10.
Advertisement, American Indian Art Magazine, 35th Anniversary Edition, pg. 35.
Brasser, Theodore. Native American Clothing: An Illustrated History. Buffalo, New York: Firefly Books, 2009. p. 216.
Fognell, Eva, ed. Art of the American Indians: The Thaw Collection. Cooperstown, NY: Fenimore Art Museum, 2010, pp. 20-21 and 64-65.
American Indian Art Magazine Calendar, October 2014.
Quammen, David. "People of the Horse." National Geographic Magazine 225, no. 3 (March 2014): 115.
Mitchell, Peter. Horse Nations: The Worldwide Impact of the Horse on Indigenous Societies Post-1492. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015, pl. 10.
Fognell, Eva and Alexander Brier Marr, eds. Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection at the Fenimore Art Museum, 2nd ed. Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2016, p. 203.
Culture
Nez Perce
Horse Mask
Date1875-1900
DimensionsOverall: 40 × 32 in. (101.6 × 81.3 cm)
Object numberT0097
Credit LineGift of Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw
Photograph by John Bigelow Taylor, NYC
Label TextHorse masks are perhaps the most spectacular Plains ceremonial horse trappings. A finely decorated mask was just one part of elaborate horse regalia. Such accoutrements both celebrated the importance of the horse and honored the artists who created them. Warriors originally rode masked and painted horses in processions as preparation for war. This process, an important part of the ritual associated with warfare, recognized the spiritual aspect of the horse. After the end of warfare in the 1880s, horse masks were worn for celebrations and parades.Exhibition History"The 45th Annual Winter Antique Show," New York, NY, January 12, 1999 – January 25, 1999.
"Art Des Indiens D'Amerique Du Nord Dans La Collection D'Eugene Thaw," Mona Bismarck Foundation, Paris, France, Somogy Editions D'Art, January 21, 2000 - March 18, 2000.
"Treasures from the Thaw Collection," Wheelwright Museum of American Indian Art. Santa Fe, NM, May 1, 2000 - December 31, 2000.
"Art of the American Indian: The Thaw Collection," The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH, March 2, 2010 - May 30, 2010; Minneapolis Museum of Art, Minneapolis, MN, October 24, 2010 - January 9, 2011; Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX, April 24, 2011 - September 23, 2011; Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, IN, December 4, 2011 - February 12, 2012.
ProvenanceAcquired from Nez Perce Indians at Nespelem, Washington; Jerrie and Anne Vander Houwen, Yakima, Washington; Howard Roloff, Victoria, British Columbia; Jonathan Holstein, Cazenovia, New York; Morning Star Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico
BibliographyVincent, Gilbert T. Masterpieces of American Indian Art. New York: Harry Abrams, 1995, p.45.
Vincent, Gilbert et al. Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection. Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2000, p.182.
Cowdrey, Mike and Ned & Jody Martin. American Indian Horse Masks. Nicasio, CA: Hawk Hill Press, 2006, p. 10.
Advertisement, American Indian Art Magazine, 35th Anniversary Edition, pg. 35.
Brasser, Theodore. Native American Clothing: An Illustrated History. Buffalo, New York: Firefly Books, 2009. p. 216.
Fognell, Eva, ed. Art of the American Indians: The Thaw Collection. Cooperstown, NY: Fenimore Art Museum, 2010, pp. 20-21 and 64-65.
American Indian Art Magazine Calendar, October 2014.
Quammen, David. "People of the Horse." National Geographic Magazine 225, no. 3 (March 2014): 115.
Mitchell, Peter. Horse Nations: The Worldwide Impact of the Horse on Indigenous Societies Post-1492. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015, pl. 10.
Fognell, Eva and Alexander Brier Marr, eds. Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection at the Fenimore Art Museum, 2nd ed. Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2016, p. 203.
On View
On view
