North American Auction Company
Live Auction

Legends of the West: Western & Native American Sale

Sat, Sep 23, 2023 11:00AM EDT
Lot 247

Ca. 1890- Cheyenne Four Tab Beaded Pipe Bag

Estimate: $3,000 - $4,000

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$50 $10
$100 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $250
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$30,000 $2,500
$50,000 $5,000
$100,000 $10,000
This is a fantastic Cheyenne pipe bag, referred to as a “four tab bag” by collectors dating to the late 19th Century to early 20th Century comprised of beadwork and Buffalo hide. The piece is comprised of Indian brain tanned Buffalo Bison hide with a yellow ocher / ochre mineral pigment paint being trade thread sewn and has long Indian hide fringes hanging off the bottom. The pipe bag is wonderfully beaded on both sides in showing unique geometric pattern, one side showing a classic Cheyenne box or tab design with a Maltese cross inside box borders with a curved border and triangle accent further bordering this. The other side shows a unique cross like pattern being vaguely similar to the Maltese cross with four triangle designs attached to the spot circle pattern in the center. The bag also has a fancy beaded border edge as well as a banded beaded design on the outside edges. The top of the bag shows four folds of Indian tanned hide with a split tail kike design with rounded edge all being fancy beaded on the edge, commonly referred to by collectors as a four-tab pattern and shows some Czechoslovakian bugle beads accenting as well. The beadwork shows all early period correct glass trade seed beads in colors of chalk white, red white hearts, semi-transparent, lilac, greasy blue, medium green, cobalt. The main beadwork section is done on a thick muslin trade canvas and has Indian hide sewn on the top and fringes on the bottom, both sewn with trade cotton. One side of the top has a tear as shown in the photos. The hide shows some surface cracking but mostly supple hide. Most of the beadwork in the main section is present with little loss. The outside edge shows little bead loss and the top section of Czech beads shows some loss. Good, original period correct Cheyenne bags with the four-tab pattern are scarce and is truly a wonderful piece of original Native American art. For reference see the 19th Century Cheyenne Four Tab Beaded Pipe Bag sold by our company in June 2023 for $8,505 (shown w/ bp) as well as circa 1870 Southern Cheyenne Beaded Pipe Bag with four tabs which was sold by our company in October 2022 for $5,355 (shown w/ bp). Provenance: From a private Utah Native American and Cowboy collection. Measures overall 28.5 inches long by 6 inches wide. Total weight of 6 oz.

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