This painting is of an 1850's era Cheyenne warrior out solo on a horse raid who has unexpectedly come across a broken and discarded Wedgewood china plate. It was common for settlers to jettison items that broke or became useless en route across the Great Plains. I liked the juxtaposition of the very sophisticated china plate abandoned on the vast and wild plains and its discovery by this warrior. The pattern on this Wedgewood plate, a British pastoral scene actually dates to the 1820's and all the details of arms, dress, paint and accouterments on our warrior are documented to the 1850's. His wolf headdress was expected to empower him with stealth while the hoof prints painted on his horse count the number of horses he’d stolen on previous raids. The lightening bolt pattern on his mounts hindquarters is for speed. His musketoon is originally French, which he’s decorated with brass tacks. The quill and beadwork on his moccasins and quivers are of an early Cheyenne pattern.
