Artwork
Chief and Members of the Konza Tribe
Chief and Members of the Konza Tribe is an oil painting by the American Folk Art artist George Catlin. It dates from 1865 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Created in 1865, this oil painting on card affixed to paperboard depicts members of the Konza tribe.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1865, this oil painting on card affixed to paperboard depicts members of the Konza tribe. The composition includes four male figures and one female figure, each dressed in traditional attire that features feathered headdresses, necklaces, and implements such as sticks or bows. The background is rendered in a muted, neutral tone that keeps focus on the subjects.
Subject & Meaning
The work records a small gathering from the Konza, a Plains Indian group, presenting both male and female representation. The men's elaborate dress and accessories highlight status and cultural identity, while the woman's simpler clothing suggests a complementary role within the tribe’s social structure.
Technique & Style
Catlin employed oil pigments on a stiff card support, later mounted on paperboard, allowing for fine detail in the figures’ garments and ornaments. The brushwork is precise, emphasizing the texture of feathers and beadwork, while the limited background color provides a flat, documentary quality characteristic of his ethnographic approach.
History & Provenance
The painting was produced by George Catlin, an American lawyer‑turned painter who traveled extensively across the western frontier in the 1830s to record Native American life. This portrait forms part of his larger series documenting Plains Indian peoples, created during his later career after several western expeditions.
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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