Another Navajo rug

This Navajo rug dates from around the same time as the 'eyedazzler' just listed. The colors are much more muted (some fading might have taken place), but it still is a riotous show of color. I think the freedom of design that the individual rug weavers exhibit is inspiring. Quite frequently these rugs would have been woven by people living the most difficult, abject, impoverished lives imaginable, and yet there is an individual spirit that comes through in these objects that is absolutely undeniable. Certain traditional 'craft' forms can become mired in tradition and stagnate, but you don't usually see that in the designs of Navajo rugs, no matter what the historical time period of this craft. There was a period when the quality of the wool used in these rugs greatly declined until a concerted effort was made to bring it back up to certain standards, but you generally can't say that about the designs themselves.