Cradle

Hide panels form the walls and hood of this soft cradle, with blue wool cloth at the bottom. Likely made as a gift for an expecting mother by her husband’s sister or other female relative, this cradle served as a carrier and a protected place for an infant. Embroidered glass beads form a series of geometric, abstract designs across the sides and top. This allover application of complex beadwork in crisp, regular lanes suggests the artist’s admiration for the child and, more broadly, the high value placed on children.