Dayak Baby Carrier Panel, Framed

Figures with raised arms hold their ground among hooks and diamonds, in more beads than anyone would care to count.

This framed baby carrier panel is Dayak, from Borneo, Indonesia, and dates to the 19th century. Dayak baby carriers were often decorated with beadwork whose figures and hooked motifs are generally understood to protect the child, with the boldest designs reserved for families of rank. Tiny glass beads in orange-red, white, black, yellow and green build a symmetrical pattern of stylized figures, spiraling hooks and stacked diamonds. A fringe of beaded tassels hangs along the lower edge. The panel floats on a white mat inside a silvered wood frame. It is 25 inches wide and 21 high.

Protection, worked out one bead at a time.