All Glossaries Index

• A
• B
• C
• D
• E
• F
• G
• H
• I
• J
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• X
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avanyu

is a horned and plumed serpent design on Pueblo pottery, also referred to as a water serpent

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A bleed print

is a print in which the image extends to one or more of the edges of the paper.

Alabaster

Alabaster is a name applied to a mineral known as gypsum (a hydrous sulfate of calcium). Also called satin spar, it is readily carved, as it is not extremely hard.

Analine dye

a dye or coloring agent derived from coal tar products. Aniline is a major component in the preparation of such dyes, which were introduced to North American Indian peoples ca. 1870.

Analine dye

is a family of synthetic dyes made originally from coal-tar derivative; first synthesized 1857. Earliest known aniline-dyed yarns in Navajo textiles were raveled from commercial cloth and date to the 1860’s. Aniline-dyed, machine-spun yarns were readily

Appliques

practice of affixing figures, such as animals and corn to pottery’s surface

Aquatint

an intaglio technique producing subtle tones areas in stark contrast to lines produced by etching, another intaglio technique. Fine particles of resin adhering to a metal plate act as an acid resist. After the plate is immersed in an acid bath, visually

Artist's proof

is one of a small group of prints set aside from the edition for the artist’s use. Also called “epreuve d’artiste. Prints numbered using Roman numerals can represent the artist’s proofs, which traditionally number approximately 10% of the regular edition

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Band

is an encircling area of design usually bounded by horizontal framing line.

Base

the bottom of a basket. Bottoms can be flat or round. Rounded bases may be concave, convex, or pointed in contour.

Basket

a vessel or container, the structure of which is usually woven or sewed and consists of rigid or semi-rigid textile materials such as plant shoots, roots, stems, leaves, bark, grasses, and vines.

Basketry

a general term that refers to both the process and techniques of basket making and the finished basket specimen. The three major techniques of basketry construction are coiling, twining, and plaiting. Basketry is constructed by interweaving or sewing two

Bear paw design

is found on some Santa Clara Pueblo traditional pottery represented as an imprint.

Bezel

is a ring of metal, soldered to a base, that surrounds a stone and holds it in place.

Black on black

is a type of blackware pottery finished both by black polish and dull or matte finish usually suggesting design.

Blackware

is any type of black pottery, plain, carved, polished or decorated, made primarily at Santa Clara and San Ildefonso Pueblos. Red clay used to make blackware turns black from carbon released during low temperature and reduced oxygen atmosphere.

Bloom

An oil painting that has been improperly varnished or stored may develop a 'bloom' or film on the surface. This first appears as an opaque blue tinge, which turns white, yellow, and eventually black as the condition (sometimes known as a 'chill') advances

Bon a Tirer print

translates to (good to pull) the “right to print” proof, designated by the artist as the standard against which every print in the edition is to be judged for its aesthetic and technical merits.

Brain-tanned

Leather (moose, deer, elk, antelope, buffalo, caribou or any fur-bearing skin) that is non-chemically tanned and softened using an animal’s brains in a natural process

Bronze

is a broad range of copper alloys, usually with tin as the main additive

Bundle

a bunch or a number of grass shoots, plant stems, split leaves, or other fine materials used as a foundation in some coiled baskets.

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Cabochon

stone with a convex surface and a flat base

Cancellation proof

is a print taken from a plate, block, or stone after the image has been effaced at the end of the edition. This is done to ensure that no further prints can be made.

Carborundum

is a material used for building up a printing surface to create tonal areas. It is applied to the printing surface, sealed and then inked for printing.

Carved

is a deep depression carved in pottery before firing, characteristic of some Santa Clara Pueblo pottery and less frequently on San Ildefonso Pueblo pottery.

Casting

is pouring molten metal into a mold and letting it harden.

Catalogue Raisonné

classified and numbered list of prints by a particular artist, listing the titles dates, editions, and conditions of all known prints (or paintings).

Chromolithography

a lithographic process using several stones or plates—one for each color, printed in register. The result is color prints, to be distinguished from colored prints that have the color hand-applied after printing.

Circa

a Latin term, literally meaning "about.” Its usage represents an approximation in dating a work of art, allowing leeway of about 10 years

Circa

represents an approximation in dating a work of art, allowing leeway of 10 years before and after the date given.

Cleavage

"Cleavage" is sometimes used to refer to the partial separation or flaking of paint from a canvas, ground, or other layer of paint. Flaking usually reflects a breakdown in adhesion between the paint layer and the support. The problem may be inherent in an

Coil and scrape

is a wall thinning process used in making a clay vessel. Fillets of clay are coiled one upon the other, pressed together, then scraped to obtain a uniform or desired thickness of the wall.

Coiling

class of basket work in which a continuous spiraling foundation is lashed together by whipstitch-like sewing or binding. Coiled basketry can be constructed by spiraling the foundation material in either the clockwise or counterclockwise direction, thus pr

Coin Silver

is silver melted from hard currency -- 90% silver and 10% copper.

Color separation

A photomechanical graphic process used by commercial artists which separates the primary colors in a color picture. A printing plate is then made for each of the colors (yellow, cyan (blue) and red (magenta) and one for black. When these colors are printe

Color trial proof

is printed before the bon a tirer. A color trial proof differs from the edition in the color of the ink that is used. These impressions result as colors are adjusted and tried or “proofed”. Color trial proofs record variations in color and in the proof

Commercial yarn

is machine spun, usually industrial dyed yarn.

Concho belt

is named after the Spanish word meaning “shell” are round or oval silver disks, which may be stamped with decorative patterns or set with stones. Single conchos are often used for belt buckles or bolo ties. First Phase concho belts are characterized b

Condition

Excellent: in pristine condition for its age and type with no structural damage or defacement; no signs of extensive or unacceptable restoration nor is any restoration needed Good: in typical condition for its type and age, physically intact with normal

Conservation

or preservation, repair. The act of preserving or repairing basketry to prevent further loss, damage, or disrepair.

Conservation glass

is designed to block approximately 98%-99% of ultraviolet light, which is the category of light that tends to cause color shifting or fading.

Conservator

a person trained and formally certified in the best methods of preserving and repairing objects, such as baskets.

Coral

was introduced into the Southwest by the Spanish, but was not used until approximately 1938, when traders imported it to Zuni Pueblo. Most comes from the Mediterranean seas, varying in color from white to blood red. It is calcareous skeletons amassed in a

Craquelure

graceful French term referencing cracking occurring generally in the varnish layer of a painting, but can also appear in the pigment layer.

Crazing

is discontinuity or fire cracks in the slip possibly due to uneven shrinkage of the underlying clay.

Crystal

is a rug style with banded patterns in vegetal colors; characterized by use of wavy lines; established in the 1940’s; named for community in east-central part of reservation. Early Crystal rug style contrasts sharply with contemporary crystal style. It

Culture area

a geographic region in which a number of distinct peoples live, all of whom share comparable but not identical culture traits.

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Designs

elements of ornamentation such as patterns and motifs that are organized or composed to create order and beauty. Line, shape, size, space, texture, color, balance, rhythm, and proportion contribute to the overall aesthetic effect of a design. Designs may

Documentation sheet

is a form identifying the technique employed in making a print, as well as the inks, paper, drawing materials and the size of the edition.

Dye

is any colorant fixed permanently to fibers. Synthetic dyes, including anilines, are chemically manufactured native dyes. Native dyes come from natural, non-synthesized animal, vegetable, and mineral sources; vegetable dyes make use of plant materials su

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Edition

is set of identical prints, sometimes numbered and signed that have been pulled by or under the supervision of the artist and are authorized for distribution.

Epreuve d'artiste (E.A.)

French term for Artist's Proof

Excellent

references property without any apparent damage (such as discoloration, tears, abrasion, etc.)

Excellent when inspected independent of framing

mandates an inspection free of framing of presentation materials.

Excellent, as appeared framed, glazed

implies artwork has not been separated from its framing presentation.

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Fabricate

is constructing a unique object cutting, shaping, hammering, soldering, texturing and stamping.

Fair

denotes property with more significant degrees of damage described specifically in the report.

Fiber

a semi-rigid element composed of filaments that is flexible enough to be used as a weaving element in the construction of basketry (e.g., beach grass, cattail stem or leaf, etc.).

Finish

the finished edge, selvage, or rim of a basket in which the warp elements are turned down, cut off, or bound in one of several ways: 1) clipped off, 2) self-edged, 3) bent at an angle and bound or interwoven, and 4) composite braided, plaited, twined, or

Fire cloud

is a blemish on a pot caused by the pot coming into contact with a piece of fuel, thus being fired at a higher temperature.

Firing

is a heating process by which the pottery vessel is hardened. The traditional technique does not use a kiln, the fuel is simply being piled around the pots and set on fire. A reducing fire excludes fresh air from the center, resulting in pottery that ma

Form

three-dimensional shape. The form of a basket is limited only by the makers’ abilities and the nature of the structural materials. A basket can be deep with rounded, globular, or flaring side walls (such as a bowl or hat), or it can be flat or slightly co

Fossilized Ivory

is usually walrus task and may have a slightly golden tint.

Foundation

the inner core or structure of a coil in coiled basketry. The three types of coiled foundation are: bundle, rod or splint, and rod-and-bundle. Bundle foundations are comprised of a number of grass stems or other fine materials which yield wide, flexible c

Foundry

is an operation whose business it is to cast bronze sculptures

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Ganado

is a rug style with dominant central panel, usually a diamond or double diamond, and at least one border, dark red, gray, black, and white color scheme; established by early 1900’s named for community in south-central part of reservation.

Geometric

a specific type of design in which regular lines, angles, and curves predominate, as in geometry. Geometric designs are a specific aspect of abstract designs which also include amorphous or free-form elements depicting natural shapes through exaggeration,

Glaze

is a finely powdered mineral substance painted on the surface of a vessel, which melts during firing and forms a more or less glassy coating. The Pueblo Native Americans used this material only for painting the design lines, not for overall waterproofing

Good

denotes property with small degree of damage described specifically in the report.

Gun metal finish

appears as a silvery black surface quality yielding a metallic look to the surface coloration.

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Handspun yarn

is a yarn produced by hand from raw wool, usually in the form of a single ply.

Handwrought Silver

is also called hand-hammered.

Heishi

are disk shapes of shell or stone, often strung to form necklaces.

Historic pottery

is pottery produced after the arrival and influence of Europeans to North America and continuing to the late 19th century.

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Impression

in printmaking, a single print made from a block, plate or stone; or the act of impressing—the contact between the printing surface and the surface on which the print is made.

Impression number

is the number of a print in an edition.

Incised design

is applied on a pot, before or after firing, by a pointed tool which removed the slip and exposes the underlying clay.

Ingot Silver

is cast into a bar to be worked.

Inlay

is setting a decorative pattern of stones into silver.

Inpainting

Introduction of substance to fill an area of paint loss followed by pigment meant to match the area of loss.

Intaglio

a family of printing processes in which the recessed areas (caused by manual or chemical incising) carry the ink, producing the printed image. Aquatint, engraving, etching, mezzotint and drypoint are all different intaglio techniques.

Interval

the patterned spacing or distance between two warp elements. In plaiting or twining, this interval is described in terms of “over-one (warp element)/under-two (warp elements)”, etc.

Ironwood

is a petrified wood from Mexico, deep mahogany in color.

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Lapis Lazuli

is a deep blue semi-previous gemstone of lazurite.

Lazy line

is a yarn produced by hand from raw wool, usually in the form of a single ply.

Lazy stitch

results in rows of eight to twelve beads

Light fastness

is the ability of a dyed paper or an ink to resist changing color when exposed to light.

Light sensitivity

is the ability of a substance or surface to change chemically when exposed to light.

Line break

is a small interruption in the band design. It may be present only in the framing lines of the band or the entire band design may be broken by a short gap. Also referred to as a ceremonial gap.

Lining

is a conservation step taken to support a deteriorating fabric/canvas, usually employing a high quality Belgian linen that is married to the original substrate.

Lip

is a tiny flare at the opening of a vessel to reduce dribble during the pouring of a liquid

Lip

is a tiny flare at the opening of a vessel to reduce dribble during the pouring of a liquid.

Lithography

was discovered in Germany by Aloys Senefelder in 1798. Printing technique in which the image areas on a lithographic stone or metal plate are chemically treated to accept ink and repel water, while the non-image areas are treated to repel ink and retain w

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Malachite

is a variegated green mineral carbonate of copper.

Maniere Noir Lihography

is a lithographic technique for stone. The surface is covered with a solid layer of tusche and the image is produced by scraping parts of the tusche layer away.

Marble

is a metamorphic rock resulting from the metamorphism of limestone,composed largely of calcite. It is used extensively for sculpture and is capable of taking a high polish.

Micaceous clay

is clay containing mica, characteristically used by potters at San Juan, Taos and Picuris.

Mineral paint

is a substance used for decorating pottery formed of a finely powdered mineral substance such as iron oxide, mixed with water and perhaps even including some carbonaceous material (as a binder).

Monotype

technically a print pulled in an edition of one, from a painting made on a sheet of metal or glass. Frequently referred to as a monoprint as well.

Mother of Pearl

is the parly internal layer of certain mollusk shells.

Motif

or basic element. The simplest design unit, consisting of a distinct dominant or recurrent element of design.

Motif

is a substance used for decorating pottery formed of a finely powdered mineral substance such as iron oxide, mixed with water and perhaps even including some carbonaceous material (as a binder).

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Naja

is the Navajo word for the crescent-shaped ornament suspended from squash blossom necklaces and horse bridles.

Natural dye

any dye obtained from various plants, insects, minerals, etc. In general, a natural dye is any coloring agent that is not classified as a paint, a pigment, a coal tar derivative or an aniline dye.

Natural turquoise

has not been added to or adjusted, apart from its shape. Stabilized turquoise has been chemically hardened with liquid resin or plastic.

Naturalistic

design motifs hinging on the depiction of plants or animals or insects.

Neck

is the part of a jar near the opening which is relatively constricted and cylindrical in comparison with the main body of the vessel. Some jars have no neck.

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Olla

or jar. A bottle-shaped basket, often used for storing seeds or holding water.

Olla

large pot used as a water container.

Overlay

involves soldering one piece of silver to another piece of silver.

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Patina

can be intentionally applied using chemicals and a torch to affect a sculpture’s coloration or can be the result of exposure to the elements (moisture or air pollution).

Patina

residue of food or other material that results from native use or from age. Glaucous bloom is a whitish patina consisting of tiny particles of wax. It forms naturally on some reddish-brown basketry fibers such as young cherry bark or on the cuticle of oth

Pattern

a planned, often repeating decorative design which usually can be broken down into more basic elements, or motifs.

Photographic offset lithograph

technique for producing an image on a lithographic plate by photographic means. Compare chromolithography.

Pitting

is a problem observed occasionally on Pueblo pottery resulting from expansion and contraction of improperly prepared clay or impure clay.

Planography

printing from a flat surface. Visually refers to lithography.

Polish

is the smooth surface finish achieved by means of stone stroking or rubbing with fabric or leather when the surface is still damp before firing.

Polychrome

signifies more than two colors on the sculpture’s surface

Polychrome

is pottery with three or more colors or tones, making up the color scheme.

Pony bead

a small bead introduced by the French to the western Great Lakes region about 1675, named as they were transported by traders on ponies.

Poor

is specified when a very large degree of damage is observed. These condition flaws are described in detail in the report.

Poster

is a large printed placard, often illustrated, posted to advertise or publicize an event such as a performance.

Posthumous casting

represents an artwork produced after the artist’s death, which negates the possibility of the artist qualitatively judging casting’s appearance

Prehistoric

is pottery produced prior to the arrival of Europeans in North America.

Presentation proofs

prints outside the edition, generally intended as gifts.

Printer's chops

is a personal embossed seal of the collaborating printer or principal printer of the edition. When this chop or embossed seal is used, it is usually at the bottom of each impression and will be on each impression in the edition.

Printer's Proofs

prints outside the edition given to the master printer and the printer and/or collaborator if any.

Proof

is a trial print pulled to test the progress of the image.

Provenance

a history of ownership and/or locations of a particular work of art

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Rag paper

fine paper for printing, made from one hundred percent cotton or linen rags and not containing any wood pulp.

Raised Outline weave

is a variation of tapestry weave in which two colors of weft alternate in pattern areas; wefts skip two warps instead of one color junctures, thus creating a raised outline around each motif.

Recto

the Latin word meaning “the right” or more important side of an image; the front side

Recto

refers to the front surface of the painting.

Registration marks

are drawn or engraved on a plate or stone to aid in the registration. They are usually in the form of a small cross or triangle.

Repousse

is creating a design in relief by hammering or doming out, the shape from the reverse side.

Representational

a specific type of design in which an object being portrayed is characterized or standardized by a likeness to the actual object, with no attempt at idealization. Similar to, but less realistic than, naturalistic design

Restricted Form

a basket form that tapers inward toward the rim or has a constriction such as a neck. An unrestricted form is flat or flares outward, as in basket plaques and trays and non-globular bowls.

Rim

is the region of the vessel adjacent to the opening.

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Saddle blanket

is a small textile used under a saddle to prevent it from galling the horse. Standard single saddle blankets measure 30 inches square. Double saddle blankets 30 x 60 inches. Frequently used as small rugs.

Seed bead

any of the small colored beads falling between the size 18/0 to 10/0, the latter being the larger size. These were introduced around 1840, the result of standardization of manufacturing techniques in Venice and Bohemia.

Serrate design

is a sharply pointed zig-zag pattern made by diagonals, often used to create diamond shapes.

Shape

two-dimensional or flat outline or configuration of an object.

Sheet Silver

comes in different thicknesses (gauges).

Shoulder

is the widest part of a jar, if it occurs rather high on the vessel.

Sinew

A silvery grey tendon traveling down each side of the spine on mammals. Scraped free of all flesh and allowed to dry, it is then shredded into fibers which are moistened and twisted into sewing threads.

Slip

is a coating on a watered down clay applied to the surface of a pot before firing. The slip may be polished or left as a matte finish.

Slip

is a coating of a watered down clay applied to the surface of a pot before firing. The slip may be polished or left as a matte finish.

Spiney Oyster

is an orange-colored shell (Spondylus).

Squash blossom necklace

is a necklace of silver beads interspersed with pomegranate-shaped silver pendants; from the bottom hangs a naja, or crescent-shaped pendant. One of the earliest styles of necklaces made by the Navajo, it originated in the 1880’s and has sustained its pop

Squaw wrap

is a method of tightly wrapping cotton around the loose ends of a beaded necklace.

Stamp work

is a process of decorating silver with punches or stamps. These stamps impress their design into a piece of metal once a hammer is applied to the flat end of the stamp with some force.

Sterling Silver

consists of 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper.

Stitches

the individual whipped elements in coiled basketry that function to hold the coils of a basket together. Such weft stitches may be either closed (placed close together) or open (spaced apart), whole or split, interlocked or non-interlocked.

Storage basket

round or squared trunk-like container used for storing household possessions.

Stylized

a specific type of design in which an object being portrayed is standardized with a motif that falls between naturalistic and representational. Stylized motifs, such as men on Southwest basketry, are often identical in form and manner of execution.

Sugilite

is a purple stone from the Kalahari Desert of South Africa, ranging from pale lavender to deep purple.

Swaging

is to bend or shape by using a swage, which is a tool for shaping cold metal.

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Thread count

is a number of threads in given segment of fabric, usually recorded as warps or wefts per inch; indicates density and relative fineness of fabric.

Treated turquoise

has been altered to change the stone's color.

Trial proof

is an impression printed prior to the bon a tirer. It may be in the colors of the edition but printed prior to minor additions or deletions in the image or on a different paper from the edition. A trial proof may also be an impression printed in black f

Tufa casting

is casting into a porous rock made of volcanic ash.

Turquoise

is a hydrous basic phosphate of copper and aluminum, ranging in color from sky blue to very pale green. Various mines yield characteristic colors and matrices.

Tusche

is a water-miscible black fluid containing the greasy ingredients of a lithographic crayon, used in lithography for drawing the design on the stone or plate with a brush or pen.

Two Grey Hills

is a rug style with dominant central panel, often a diamond or double diamond, and one or more borders; natural gray, brown, black, and white color scheme; established in the 1920’s; named for community in east central part of reservation.

Type

is a group of pottery vessels that are alike in every important characteristic except (possibly) shape.

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Utilitarian ware

is pottery used for everyday needs such as cooking, eating and storage.

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Vegetal dyes

is any dye made from a plant source. In Navajo weaving, vegetal dye usually refers to dyes made from plants native to the Southwest.

Verso

the Latin word meaning “the wrong” or reverse side of an image; the back side

Verso

refers to the back surface of the painting.

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Ware

is a group of pottery vessels that are alike in every important characteristics, but may differ in others.

Warp

any strand or fiber, usually of vegetal origin, that runs lengthwise or vertically in basketry. The warp element is usually more rigid and strong than are weft elements. Active weft and warp elements characterized plaited basketry (i.e., both weft and war

Warp

any fiber or strand that runs cross-wise at right angles to the structural warp elements. In basketry fabrics, the structural weft strands usually run horizontally.

Warp

is made up of yarns that are strung on a loom. Weft yarns are woven over and under the warps. In completed Navajo rugs, the warps are hidden by the wefts.

Watermark

is an image made within a sheet of paper by variations in pulp thickness.

Weft

consists of the yarns that are woven over and under the warp yarns, which are attached to the loom. In completed Navajo rugs, only the weft lines are visible.

White-heart

A bead, either in seed or necklace size, which is composed of an opaque white core with an outer wrapping of translucent color

Wide Ruins

is a rug style with banded patterns in vegetal colors; characterized by numerous serrate diamond motifs and frequent but subtle use of beading; established in the late 1930’s.

Workshop chop

is an embossed seal of the workshop where the impression is printed. This chop or seal generally appears at the bottom of each impression in the edition.

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Ye' ii

is a (Navajo) special class of supernatural with close spiritual relationship to Navajo people and their natural environment; often depicted in stylized anthropomorphic form. Ye’ii rugs show front facing figures, standing singly or in rows.

Yei' bi-chai

is a special class of supernatural beings with close spiritual relationship to Navajo people and their natural environment; often depicted in stylized anthropomorphic form. These beings are portrayed in weavings facing sideways.

Ye’ii Bicheii Ceremony

Nine day winter ceremony in which the ye’ii dancers appear literally. Ye’ii bicheii means “grandfather of the ye’ii (holy people)” and refers to one of the dancers, also called the “Talking god”; Ye’ii bicheii rugs depict semi-realistic figures in profile

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