Lot 151

American Indian Single Batwing Pipe Tomahawk 19th

Estimate: $8,000 - $12,000

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $5
$50 $10
$100 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $250
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$25,000 $2,500
$100,000 $5,000
This is an extraordinary single batwing cutout and pewter inlaid pipe tomahawk from the American Indians of the Western Plains from the 19th Century. The piece show shows a blacksmith forged iron head with typical western nice wide blade having a small flattened rear-facing spur at the rear, filed eyelet hole and filed chevron moldings at the tall pipe bowl with filed rings, which was artfully made from an old rifle barrel. The blade itself shows a wonderful punch-dot engraved decoration framing the outside edge of the blade and around the batwing cutout at the center. Single Batwing pipe tomahawks are exceedingly rare in the authentic form such as this. The batwing cutout has been filled with poured bullet led pewter, a truly scarce addition as most inlaid batwing sections had fallen out over many years of use with this inlay still being present. The head is secured to the solid wood haft handle with an old Indian hide gasket and brass trade tacks. The haft is further adorned with old faded file branding and brass tacks with a hide quilled drop secured at a pierced hole just below the gripping area and in front of the smoking tip. The tall pipe bowl which was forged from an old rifle barrel shows the hand cut rifling still visible down the bowl. The drop, an old later addition shows an Indian tanned Buffalo Bison hide adorned with beautiful geometric porcupine quill quillwork in red, natural white, yellow, orange, and purple. The triangular typical shaped drop is finished by the long Indian Buffalo hide fringe. The rare batwing tomahawk war club shows a nice chocolate patina and the blade bears a nice patina from age and use with a dark natural coloring. Provenance: From the ex-collection of Cyrus Eaton in London, England. The tomahawk is 26 ½ inches in length with a head that is 10 ¼ inches long by 4 ½ inches wide across the bottom of the blade. The drop is 21 inches long by 3 inches wide.
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