German Silver Discs on Leather Belt [R]

German silver, which is an alloy that contains no silver, was a favored metal of the Plains Indian tribes. The rings, bracelets and hair plates, which in turn became belt conchas, worn by the Kiowa, Comanche, Dakota, Cheyenne, Ute, Pawnee, Osage, etc., were of this thin metal. These silver discs were strung and worn by the Plains tribes as hair pieces, that is, they were tied to the hair and draped down the back of the head. Sometimes the sizes of the discs were graduated and other times they were the same. They also wore them draped down their side from the waist.

This belt was actually worn by artist Florence Pierce as a belt, much like a concha belt. It is in very good condition.

Provenance: From the estate of Transcendental artist Florence Pierce of Albuquerque who passed away in 2007 at the age of 89. She was best known for luminescent paintings made of pigmented resins on reflective surfaces. Her interest in abstraction began in the 1930s when she was an associate of the Transcendental Painting Group. The New York Times called her “the doyenne of abstract art in the Southwest” following her art exhibit in New York City in 2006.