Condor Cape

Condor Cape

late 1800s
Culture
Wailaki
Object
cape
Medium
condor feathers and cord
Accession Number
1950.150
Credit Line
Native Arts acquisition funds

Wailaki artist, Condor Cape, late 1800s. Condor feathers and cord; 36 x 27 in. Denver Art Museum: Native Arts acquisition funds, 1950.150

Dimensions
length: 36 in, 91.4400 cm; width: 27 in, 68.5800 cm
Department
Native Arts
Collection
Indigenous Arts of North America
Artists in native California were masters at using the feathers of birds large and small. Here, the feathers of gigantic condors are accented with a few flicker feathers to make a resplendent cape. Imagine a dancer wrapped in these large wing feathers as they floated gracefully across his shoulders and back, accentuating his movements. Only a handful of these rare capes still exist today.
Known Provenance
Collected by Grace Nicholson [1877-1948], Pasadena, CA, before 1905. Collection of, or purchase by, Lewis H. Farlow, Los Angeles, CA, before 1905; Peabody Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 1905-1950; Denver Art Museum, 1950
Exhibition History
  • “Stampede: Animals in Art” — Denver Art Museum, 9/10/2017