The Weaver

Artist Ernest Martin Hennings (American, 1886 - 1956)

Datec. 1955

Mediumoil on canvas

Dimensions25 x 30 inches (63.5 x 76.2 cm)

Credit LinePartial Bequest of H.J. Lutcher Stark, 1965 and Partial Gift of Nelda C. Stark, 1975

Object number31.32.17

ClassificationsPaintings

DescriptionMartha Tsosie & daughter, from Ganado, Arizona, are the models for this painting. They sit in front of an upright loom where the woman weaves a blanket while looking towards her daughter sitting next to her.

Label TextHome can be a place where family traditions build bonds. Among the Diné (Navajo) women prepare wool and weave blankets and rugs for use and for trade. Hennings painted a specific model, Martha Tsosie, in this painting. Tsosie instructs her daughter as she weaves, as she had learned from her relatives. In an interview, Tsosie said that her paternal grandmother and maternal grandmother “would tell me that I am going to weave the rest of my life and also that I will be supporting my children with it, too.”

ProvenanceArtist; by inheritance to his wife Helen Otte Hennings [1893-1985], Taos, New Mexico; purchased August 30, 1956 by H.J. Lutcher Stark [1887-1965]; ½ interest bequeathed September 2, 1965 to the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation [1]; remaining ½ interest gifted December 5, 1975 to the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation by Nelda C. Stark [1909-1999]; accessioned to the Stark Museum of Art | 1. Owned jointly by H.J. Lutcher Stark and Nelda C. Stark until his death at which point his ½ interest was bequeathed to the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation.

On View

Not on view