Adobe Gallery Blog
Navajo Third Phase Chief Pattern Rug - C3882A
The Chief Blanket underwent several changes over the decades from 1800, among those was adding red bayeta yarn and, later, adding a total of nine triangular elements at the corners and mid part of the textile. Those changes resulted in Second Phase and Third Phase designations.
The Chief Blanket has never gone out of production. Changes were made in the early 20th century, but the appearance did not change enough to prevent use of the term, Third Phase Blanket or Rug.
This textile, a Third Phase version, is too large for a wearing blanket. It was made as a floor rug. It dates to circa 1920s. The use of orange in the textile helps set the date. The Navajo Third Phase Chief Pattern Rug is probably the most widely collected of 20th-century Navajo weavings today. The pattern, the name, the inference, all contribute to its desirability by collectors, decorators and enthusiasts.