Arcadia Art Consultancy is pleased to present "Tlingit Ceremonial Robe (Chilkat Blanket)", in Sotheby’s Americana Sale, taking place in New York on January 25, 2025. This exceptional piece from a private collection.

Chilkat blankets are also called “dancing blankets,” they are worn for ceremonial occasions by high-ranking tribal members of numerous Northwest Coast Indigenous peoples of Alaska and western Canada.

Chilkat weaving is a highly intricate, finger-twined technique that requires exceptional time and skill. Renowned as one of the most complex weaving methods in the world, it is characterized by its unique vertical construction and the integration of curvilinear shapes directly into the design.

One robe can take several years to complete and the knowledge of how to make them has always been held by a small number of entrusted weavers. Mountain goat wool and yellow cedar bark are the traditional mediums for these robes. Harvesting and processing the wool and bark was also a complex and laborious task.

In recent years, Chilkat weaving was regarded as an endangered art form. However, a small number of Native artists have mastered the craft and are now passing it on to others, fostering hope for the preservation of this ancient tradition.