Kiowa Cradle Board | Brzezinski Portfolio

Treatment of Kiowa Cradle Board

Context

Cradle boards are used to care for and carry babies. The cradle may be filled with soft material and acts as a protective swaddle. The wooden frame allows a parent to carry the baby or lean them against a saddle pommel or teepee, keeping them eye-level with the community.

This cradle board was made by Tsomah Poolaw, a Kiowa woman from Oaklahoma. She raised her sons in it.

In the museum world, Kiowa cradle boards are celebrated for their elaborate beadwork. The decorations of one side refer to the mother's family, while those on the other side refer to the father's.

Click images for details

Before Treatment

Object: Cradle Board

Acc.#: 1941.42

Maker: Tsomah Poolaw (Kiowa)

Date: 1897-98

Dimensions:45in x 13in x 10 1/2in

Materials: Leather, beadwork, textile, wood

Collection: Denver Art Museum

Culture of Origin: Kiowa

Treated in 2021 for permanent display in the Indigenous Arts of North America Gallery, in the newly renovated Martin Building at the Denver Art Museum

View Report

Condition

Losses to the beadwork
Soiled and brittle leather elements
Broken and missing leather lashings to wooden frame
Wooden frame out of alignment, held in the incorrect orientation with an old repair
Leather element at the top off center
Overall surface dirt and grime

Click images for details

Treatment

Consultation and collaboration with curators
Cleaning beadwork and leather
Stabilizing loose beadwork
Fills to beadwork, toning beads to match
Stabilizing wooden frame in the correct alignment with modern leather
Visually integrating repair leather with Japanese paper
Determining method to reattach decorative leather element using magnets and paper.