Lot 253

c. 1900-1950 Blackfeet Beaded Trade Wool Pipe Bag

Estimate: $600 - $1,200

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
The lot features a nice beaded trade wool pipe bag tobacco pouch from the Blackfeet Indians of Montana dating to circa 1900-1950's. The bag is constructed from wool trade blanket remnants from early 1900 showing the dye edge to natural wool at the top covered with geometric beadwork done in period correct glass trade seed cen petit beads. The colors of the beads include sky padre light blue, Cheyenne pink, greasy yellow, pink white heart, chalk white, medium green, medium blue, blue, and faceted metal. The top shows a beaded edge and the bottom has hide fringes wrapped in trade wool and further beaded all around. The bag is well preserved with a small section of beads missing on the front bottom outside edge and the back of the bag shows a small worn section of wool. The beadwork is sinew sewn and the bag s thread sewn showing a trade clothe inside lining. Provenance: From a private museum collection in the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region of France. Other examples of pipe bags constructed of trade wool include the following: The example from David Cook Galleries, which sold for approximately $9,700 from the Plateau 19th Century and featured a red trade cloth top and beaded bottom. Another example offered by Skinner’s Auction in January 2009 is from the third-quarter 19th Century and the “Yancton” (Yankton); it features a red cloth top and hide beaded bottom and had an estimate of $15,000-$20,000. Yet another example, the Ute beaded and quilled bag (circa 1870), features blue trade cloth top and hide bottom with significant damage; it was offered by our company in January 2021 and had an estimate of $2,500-$5,000. Measures overall 19.25"L by 5.5"W.