S.H. Hightower Plains-Style Beaded War Shirt, Framed 43.5 in

Contemporary reproduction of a 19th-century Plains Indian war shirt by Western artisan S.H. Hightower, presented in the artist's custom shadow box frame. The shirt is brain-tanned style hide with historical distressing and an antiqued patina applied by the artisan as part of the work, geometric seed beadwork strips on a white ground across the yoke and sleeve headers, hand-painted red and blue accents, and long leather fringe at the chest, shoulders and sleeves interspersed with imitation eagle feathers and hair tassels. Hand-painted red handprints across the center torso represent a traditional combat exploit mark. Materials are tanned hide, glass seed beads, natural pigments, feathers and mixed media, and the shirt floats against vertical plank wood backing in a distressed sage-green wash. The reinforced frame measures 43.5 inches wide by 43.5 inches high with a 4.75 inch depth, and the artist's signature is tooled into an oval leather maker's plaque riveted to the backing with domed brass tacks.