Rug c. 20th century

This textile, woven by a Navajo (Diné) artist, features bold geometric forms. Notice the diamond shapes. In Navajo weaving, diamonds often represent the cosmos, and can also be symbolic of the four sacred mountains marking the boundaries of their ancestral lands. The diamond motif echoes across cultures. We see it in ancient Greek art, where diamonds adorned pottery, symbolizing prosperity. In medieval Europe, it appeared on coats of arms, signifying strength and nobility. Its persistence reveals a primal need to impose order on the universe, a desire perhaps rooted in our collective unconscious. The emotional resonance of such symbols is profound, engaging us on a subconscious level with ancestral memories. The motifs within this rug, handed down across generations, highlight how symbols are never static. They evolve, acquire new meanings, and re-emerge, each time resonating with the ever-shifting tapestry of human experience.