Lot 253

Mid-19th Century Comanche Spontoon Tomahawk

Estimate: $9,000 - $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
The lot features a fantastic Southern Plains spontoon tomahawks, possibly one of the best we have ever seen. The piece is from the Mary Lou and Pierre DuPont collection out of St. Louis, Missouri and was collected from the Comanche Indians at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. This rare circa 1850 example of the Southern Plains region exhibits an expertly hand-forged iron head with slender vase like pipe bowl, forged chevrons, forged moldings and a tapering blade with two under or downward curled basal processes. The head is secured to the haft with wood wedged and a wetted and hardened pieces of Buffalo hide gasket. This pattern of spontoon head with under curled basal processes, rather than curled upwards has been documented and photographed with the Kiowa and Comanache. The old hard wood haft is adorned with extensive, attractive brass tack designs and has a long beaded and fringed hide drop tied ontop the haft with old crenshaw twine. The entire tomahawk has a nice, deep chocolate patina of use and overall is a truly exceptional and attractive example being well preserved. Provenance: From the collection of Mary Lou and Pierre DuPont of St. Louis Missouri; allegedly the DuPont’s acquired the piece from Arnold Marcus Chernoff in the late 1970’s with the sales papers being lost. There are other pieces from the DuPont’s from Chernoff, which makes his ownership likely possible. One of the sale highlights. The beaded drop, an older example that is likely added over time later, shows a nice dark color with hide showing all glass trade seed beads in colors of greasy blue, cobalt, chalk white, red and green. Total length of the tomahawk is 22 inches with the drop hanging an additional 20 inches long and the head being 9.25” overall.
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