Object Notes

In beadwork, the mythical dragon-serpent (aso) often merges like a chameleon with the background.

By attaching side panels to straight-back chairs, easy chairs were developed in Europe during the 17th century as a means to protect the sitter from cold drafts.

The design on this textile is dense with symbolic elements, each laden with meaning that represents hopes and prayers for wealth and prosperity. Two armed warriors appear in the center section.

Sarita are very long, narrow cloths in which multiple paired rectangular panels are filled with typical Toraja motifs executed in either a deep brown, indigo blue, or white on a black background.

Théodore Gentilz created some of the earliest known scenes of Texas, such as this detailed architectural study of Mission San José, San Antonio's most celebrated mission. He first came to the state in 1844 as a surveyor for the colony organized by Henri Castro, which became present-day Castroville.

Thomas M. Stell Jr.'s intense interest in design is evident in the bold, hard-edged contours of his young sitter's body and the highly ornate background. The stillness and frozen quality of the composition recall the artist's reverence for early Italian and Northern Renaissance paintings, which he saw during his European studies.