Lot 455

Sioux Polychrome Thunderbird Parfleche War Shield

Estimate: $1,000 - $2,000

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 wetted and stretched Buffalo parfleche rawhide war shield showing a polychrome painted Thunderbird effigy attributed to the Sioux Native American Indians. The shield comes from a large Cowboy and American Indian collection outside Billings, Montana and is said to date to the late 19th to early 20th Century by the current collector. The piece shows a wetted and stretched Buffalo parfleche hard hide over a bent and stripped willow wood hoop which shows a dark red ocher dye and sinew wrappings. The back is held together with strips of rawhide. The parfleche itself shows some of the original hair still intact and across the front shows a painted thunderbird figure in red, yellow, and green with wings spread and blue water lines radiating from its wings. Below the thunderbird are two four-pointed morning stars in blue each being surrounded by four green circles which held a sinew drop having only one side being still present holding four wound glass padre beads of chalk white and red. The paint is thick and vivid with the shield having a worn patina’d finish. Overall, the piece displays well. Please examine the shield for your own opinion of age and originality. Measures overall 15.5”x18.5”. It is said the current owner purchased the piece for nearly $2,000 many years ago.
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