File:The American Museum journal (c1900-(1918)) (17539317773).jpg

Title: The American Museum journal
Identifier: americanmuseumjo04amer (find matches)
Year: c1900-(1918) (c190s)
Authors: American Museum of Natural History
Subjects: Natural history
Publisher: New York : American Museum of Natural History
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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These complex designs, taken as a whole, often have special names, for example: a diamond-shaped figure with forked append- ages, as shown in the adjoining illustration (Case 25a), is sometimes spoken of as the "turtle" design, or "turtle" pattern. So far as the makers of these designs are concerned, the name "turtle" is simply the pat- tern-name, and in no wise a represen- tation of the animal specified. Thus we have a series of decorative designs in which the motive is not the repre- sentation of objects or ideas, but merely an appeal to the aesthetic sense. However, these design elements may be combined into wholes which do represent definite objects or ideas, and so become symbolic de- signs ; but the use of designs to represent any particular idea does not conform to any rule, it depends rather upon the fancy of the maker. A good example of this type of design is illustrated below (Case 25a). It represents a decoration seen by the maker in a dream. It is thus a picture of the d eam design. But there are cer- tain geometrical forms which are symbolic, and are looked upon as sacred. One of the most com- mon of these designs is that of a spider-web, which may be seen on the pouch shown on p. 25 (Case 25c). This design is looked upon as too sacred to be used for mere decorative purposes. There is another type of de- sign midway between the sacred symbolic one and the merely decorative one, such as the design of the turtle upon the dresses of women. This is simply a U-shaped figure placed on the breast
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