Artwork
Nayas Indian Chief, His Wife, and a Warrior
Nayas Indian Chief, His Wife, and a Warrior is an oil painting by the American Folk Art artist George Catlin. It dates from 1862 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Created in 1862, this oil painting on card affixed to paperboard presents three figures set against a sparse outdoor backdrop.
About this work
Technique & Style
The composition focuses on the representation of these specific individuals, adhering to the artist's documented approach to portraiture during this period.
Executed in 1862, this portrait utilizes oil paint applied to a card support, which is subsequently mounted onto a paperboard backing. The work functions as a genre portrait, depicting three figures: a Nayas Indian chief, his wife, and a warrior. The physical dimensions of the piece are recorded as 47 cm in height and 61.8 cm in width.
The composition focuses on the representation of these specific individuals, adhering to the artist's documented approach to portraiture during this period.
History & Provenance
Painted in 1862 by George Catlin, Nayas Indian Chief, His Wife, and a Warrior is a portrait that follows Catlin’s documented itinerary among western Nations during the early 1860s. The work remained with the artist until his death in 1872 and then descended to his daughters, Clara Gregory Catlin, Louise Catlin Kinney, and Elizabeth Wing Catlin.
In 1912 Elizabeth Wing Catlin sold the painting to the American Museum of Natural History. It was later consigned through Kennedy Galleries, New York, and acquired in 1959 by Paul Mellon, Upperville, Virginia. Mellon gifted the work to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, in 1965, where it remains.
The painting is currently held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it was accessioned as a gift from Paul Mellon in 1965. Prior to this transfer, the work was sold in 1959 by the American Museum of Natural History to Mr. Paul Mellon of Upperville, Virginia, following the museum's 1912 purchase from Elizabeth Wing Catlin. The American Museum of Natural History had originally acquired the piece by descent from the artist George Catlin's daughters. The provided sources do not list any specific exhibition history for this work.
Overview
Created in 1862, this oil painting on card affixed to paperboard presents three figures set against a sparse outdoor backdrop. The central figure is a man adorned with a feather in his hair and a cloth around his waist, flanked by a chief holding a staff and a woman bearing an infant while covering herself with a shawl.
Subject & Meaning
The work portrays a Native American chief, his spouse, and an accompanying warrior, emphasizing their attire and personal ornaments. The inclusion of items such as a red arm band, earrings, and a feather suggests an intention to document cultural identifiers rather than convey a narrative scene.
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Artist & collection
Artist
George Catlin ( KAT-lin; July 26, 1796 – December 23, 1872) was an American lawyer, painter, author, and traveler, who specialized in portraits of Native Americans in the American frontier.
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