Featured Beaded sash?

One more item to ask about!

These are 45" long, and one, as you can see, is not completed.

What are these for? Any ideas?

(Google only wants to show those Yoruba beaded belts.)

Thanks again and again.

 

Interesting pieces. Can you tell what the material is on the top layer (directly under the beads)?

 

Feels like a felt, but probably commercial felt joined to another material as backing--- it's 'crispy' or 'crinkly' and not soft and supple like felt on its own.

 

I have exhausted my brain trying to figure these out, without success. But here are some thoughts -

The fabrics used, and the machine stitching, might point to Europe or at least "western", as opposed to African or other purely "tribal" origin. I associate the use of felt with eastern Europe, or perhaps a bit farther east such as Turkey and Central Asia.

Many of the beads look slightly irregular in size/shape, and some appear more cylindrical/tube shaped rather than typical round seed beads. I can't see the iridescent ones well enough to see their shape. The mix of irregular and more uniform sizes might indicate a date around the mid 20th c (or later if some older beads were being used). The choice of blue and orange/red colors might reflect a tradition of coral and turquoise.

The diamond shape is a common motif in many Islamic arts, and the shape on your pieces is a bit like that found on some Turkish rugs -

https://www.kilim.com/detail/k0062766-vintage-turkish-hand-knotted-rug


https://theknottedfox.com/products/slyvie

Clearly intended as a pair, they might have been created for some sort of garment. Perhaps, similar to the neck/front bands on this "chyrpy" woman's robe from Turkmenistan -

https://virtual-artifacts.tumblr.com/tagged/tribal/page/5

These robes are decorated with embroidery, however. I can find no examples that use beadwork.

On a completely different track, the beadwork on your pieces reminds me of some done in Haitian Vodoun objects. These are derived from old West African traditions, hence the similarity to some Yoruba beadwork. But again, I cannot find any precise comparisons.

Or, they could just be some art-deco projects from some bored house wife.

 

Wow. Totally appreciate your time and assistance!

I'd agree with your dating--- 40-60 years old, and not 100 years old.

The flea market I got them from is a little of a 'throwback' flea market-- an hour and a half from the city, almost everyone there is AARP-eligible, prices are cheap, no one is using google lens, and there's no Californians hunting for vintage clothes for their Etsy shops. It'd be a long strange journey indeed for Turkmen textiles arts to turn up.

In the end, a crafter's project, may be all we can say.

I take some more pics this evening.

Again, thank you so much.

 

Sounds like a nice flea market. You never know how things get around. Our soldiers have been everywhere, and bring things back.

 

I got this from Google image search. The website itself doesn't seem to have the image in it. Just the search result. Powwow belt?

Edit: There is an image tab, top right. Wood f' trees

https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/E_2010-2028-1-j

 

That is true!

That was my first thought, or, a beaded design to then be sewn into a long rectangular strip to go over a horse during a event, parade, etc.

 

Here's some more pics. Thanks again for the help!

 

The closeups make me question what the white material is. Where the back of it is visible along the edges, it does not look like felt, but I can't tell what it is -




Is this writing? It looks like the middle word might be orange.



Why would you put writing on the front of the piece, unless it was intended to be fully beaded and the markings would not show? So it may be that neither of the pieces have been finished.

The side pieces for a martingale for a horse might be plausible. But the style of beadwork does not look like any NA work I am familiar with.

https://www.slam.org/collection/objects/47709/

@komokwa - have you seen anything like this?

 

Geez. How did I miss the writing?!? It says 'Blue orange green.'



There's two fabrics, a likely cotton on back, and a synthetic felt-like fabric, with some sort of crinkly quality... It feels strong. Maybe it's a fabric specially made for beading, something you might find in a fabric or craft store. I'll look into that.







Thanks

 

This...

...has got to be right.

 

I was going to suggest this. Who would want to sew 10,000 beads onto leather? Or maybe a meat free alternative made by a vegan?

 

no NA design I know of , and I don't see those metallic and shiny beads as anything NA either...........
I'm uncertain of those fibres altogether..

 

Yes, and it looks like Latin script, so that narrows the search down. This style is not Western European, so we're left with Africa (French or English speaking) or North America.

 

It was done -


https://www.1stdibs.com/furniture/f...s-american-indian-19th-century/id-f_41229562/

 

Jah. Some crazy peeps about

 

$55,000 price on that one. That's 2750 times more than mine cost.

 

ya , but the dress is righteous .....!

 

Truly. Amazing.