#38 • A Tlingit Ceremonial Robe (Chilkat Blanket)

Part of December 2025 Premier Auction (live auction by Alaska Premier Auctions & Appraisals)

High bid $9,100.00

Status: Sold

Category: Textiles

A finely woven 5-foot wide Chilkat ceremonial dance blanket, circa 1870-1890, featuring a bold central design rendered in golden-tan and black mountain goat wool, interwoven with cedar bark. The composition displays the characteristic split-form formline imagery of Northwest Coast art, its central face and flanking eyes surrounded by abstracted crest elements framed in a strong border. The overall layout follows the traditional Chilkat pattern of symmetrical sections derived from clan crests, each outlined in black wool twining for striking visual contrast. Chilkat dance blankets are traditionally worn by high-ranking clan leaders during ceremonies, memorials, and potlatches, where they serve as expressions of lineage, status, and inherited crest rights. Draped over the shoulders and extending down the back, the blanket moves with the dancer, allowing the flowing fringe and bold crest designs to animate visibly during formal songs and dances. The weaving is tightly executed and finished with a mostly intact fringe; the surface has some wear from age and use as photographed. Measures approximately 63.5" x 42.5" tall.