I was drawn to this J.B. Moore-era Crystal weaving because to me, it presaged or rode the crest of the dawning Art Deco movement of the 1910s. It exhibits the geometry, symmetry and machine-age optimism of the era; it has an almost steampunk sensibility, reminding me of clockwork, fulcrum / pendulums, counter-balancing forces ... Having been born high in the Chuska Mountains, worlds away from the earliest impulses of the Deco movement in Paris, I can\'t help but feel that there was some synchronicity at play here. I recall the Hundreth Monkey theorem from an ancient sociology class (thanks Dr. Nancy Miller; you were awesome). There is a good deal of lazy line work and what I interpret as an unpretentious, quite inconspicuous spirit line visible in the image of the right upper tassle. The weaving itself is pleasingly precise. The field is in good and greatly unblemished condition, with a few isolated areas of poofed warp and a few possible nibbles. The end cords and selvage cords have stretches of loss, which is par for the course in a 120-year-old weaving. There are a couple of areas in the dark brown side borders and natural grey ends that show effects of cord or warp breaks, like orphaned weft lengths or bunched lengths which are seen in legitimately old weavings that might have seen floor time early on. I would feel compelled to have this repaired if I were contemplating using this as a rug in a trafficked area. I would feel comfortable with it as because to me, it doesn\'t belong on the floor; it is so right on the wall. Anyway, it has that quasi-blanket handle that we see in transitionals, so it is hard for me to relate to a decision for floor placement.
Width: 37.5 inches
Length: 72.5 inches
- Crystal Trading Post (located near Crystal, New Mexico, high in the Chuska Mountains).
- Date Range
- c. 1900–1910s (Early/J.B. Moore Crystal Period).
- Characteristic Features & Style Identification
- J.B. Moore Influence: Trader J.B. Moore operated the Crystal Trading Post from 1896 to 1911 and published mail-order catalogs featuring specific plates and geometric templates to sell weavers\' work to eastern buyers. This design displays classic Early Crystal / J.B. Moore Plate Period design sensibilities.
- Geometric & Symbolic Elements:
- Features central concentric diamonds, arrows pointing inward/outward, floating geometric hooks, and abstract motifs characteristic of early 20th-century Chuska-area weaving.
- Displays an early variation of design layouts that influenced both the Storm Pattern and classic early Crystal regional motifs.
- Color Scheme: Utilizes natural homespun wool shades (natural cream, carded gray, dark brown/black) accented with fine line details.
- (Note: Around the 1940s, the Crystal style transitioned into borderless, vegetal-dyed banded designs, making this structured geometric bordered piece a classic example of the earlier J.B. Moore Crystal era).
In sum, this weaving has signs of age upon close inspection; but its crisp, iconic design and native technical virtuosity earn its keep as worthy art and artifact. That\'s all that there is, and there ain\'t no more.
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