A true sale highlight, an authentic circa 1870’s Cheyenne four tab bar beaded hide pipe bag in exquisite condition and design. This is quite possibly the finest Cheyenne four tab bags ever offered for sale. The piece is comprised of Indian tanned antelope hide that is sinew sewn in a classic “Four Tab” pipe bag pattern, documented amongst the Cheyenne of the Southern Plains (Tsis tsis'tas) with a classic Cheyenne bar design. The beadwork is all period correct 1800’s glass trade seed cen beads showing colors of cobalt, chalk white, greasy white, Cheyenne pink, greasy yellow, light blue (sky padre blue), and semi-translucent rose. The bag has an original, nice yellow ocher / ochre mineral pigment coloring on the hide and fringes. The fringes are sewn with sinew on the bottom and are also Indian tanned antelope hide. The bag and fringes are well kept being mostly supple soft hide, the four tabs are also soft and shows the underside of the Indian scraped hide with a fancy sinew sewn beaded edge. The beadwork extends around the entire bag on both sides as well as up the central portion of the bag, along the tabs and a beaded rim at the opening. The bag is presented on a museum metal wall mount stand and is in nearly excellent condition. Provenance: From a prominent Northwestern collection of high end Native American antiquities. The only similar bag to this example was the Cheyenne Four Tab bag of a later 1880’s age which sold at our company for $8,572.50 (w/ bp). This example is in exquisite condition, early Indian Wars circa 1870’s age, truly astounding beadwork and unusual medium size. Overall the bag measures 21”L by 5”W.