Robes of Splendor

For centuries, ornamental robes made of buffalo hide were painted by artists of the various North American Indian nations. Brought to the French kings in the 18th century, and now housed in the Musee de l'Homme in Paris, the robes represented in this book are a tribute to a bygone art form. The robes offer an extraordinary pictorial representation of early Native American life, executed with consummate skill and perfectly preserved. As demonstrated in the chapter on the craft and history of buffalo-hide painting, we see the largely symbolic, complex, geometric patterns painted by women, contrasted with the more realistic scenes depicting battles and dances, executed by men. Both kinds of design played an important role in Native American society as messages for tribe members, as well as for their visitors, and both make a powerful visual impact. The book contains introductory and historical essays by a team of leading experts on Native American art, and more than 100 photographs of the hides.