Lot 135

Lakota Sioux Fully Beaded Quirt circa 1880

Estimate: $2,500 - $3,500

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 exceptional fully beaded quirt dating to circa 1880 from the Lakota Sioux Native American Indians and from the Bruce VanLandingham Sundog collection. The piece has a carved wood handle which is covered in Indian tanned hide and also shows a wrist throng with both being covered in period correct 19th Century glass trade seed petit beads in a traditional geometric pattern. The beadwork shows a sky padre light blue background with pattern in red white hearts, chalk white, greasy yellow, cobalt, semi-transparent green, and semi-transparent pink. The beadwork is sinew sewn. The front of the riding quirt has Indian tanned hide fringe and tied on a thick double strand of Buffalo parfleche rawhide. The wrist throng shows a wide strap which flows into a bifurcated split tongue fringe which ends in four rolled tin jingle dangles cones with ocher dyed hair. Fully beaded quirts dating to the Indian Wars era such as this are immensely rare with this being a truly beautiful and well preserved example. Provenance: From the renowned Sundog Fine Art Bozeman, Montana collection by Bruce VanLandingham. Bruce VanLandingham was a pillar in the American Indian collecting community and a respected expert. Along with being an avid collector, Bruce was also the sole owner of Sundog Fine Art Gallery in Bozeman, which was both part museum and gallery, this piece is directly from the collection. The piece shows some stiffening to the hide and little to no bead loss but overall displays well. Measures overall approximately 39"L with front whip strap and wrist throng laid out. Museum collection number E1021.