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Crow Beaded Hide Knife Sheath with Trade Knife, Plains
Crow, northern Plains
1880
Native hide, glass beads, sinew
Sheath length 11 1/2" (29.2 cm); knife length 12 1/2" (31.8 cm)
Provenance: Wisconsin Trade
Crow beadwork of the late 19th century is distinguished by its bold geometric patterning, strong color contrasts, and the fully beaded surfaces that characterize the tribe's most prestigious objects. Knife sheaths were worn at the belt as practical equipment and as expressions of personal prestige, the fully beaded surface requiring sustained skill and time from the maker. The Crow tradition of covering the entire surface of an object in beadwork, leaving no hide exposed, sets their production apart from neighboring Plains traditions of the same period.
This sheath is fully beaded on a white ground with polychrome geometric patterning in green, red, and blue, sinew-sewn throughout and retaining traces of old green pigment on the surface consistent with age and use. The original trade knife with wood handle is included, making this a complete and coherent object as it would have been worn and used. Provenance traces to Wisconsin Trade, placing the piece within the network of upper Midwest dealers and collectors through which significant Plains material entered private collections.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Crow, northern Plains
1880
Native hide, glass beads, sinew
Sheath length 11 1/2" (29.2 cm); knife length 12 1/2" (31.8 cm)
Provenance: Wisconsin Trade
Crow beadwork of the late 19th century is distinguished by its bold geometric patterning, strong color contrasts, and the fully beaded surfaces that characterize the tribe's most prestigious objects. Knife sheaths were worn at the belt as practical equipment and as expressions of personal prestige, the fully beaded surface requiring sustained skill and time from the maker. The Crow tradition of covering the entire surface of an object in beadwork, leaving no hide exposed, sets their production apart from neighboring Plains traditions of the same period.
This sheath is fully beaded on a white ground with polychrome geometric patterning in green, red, and blue, sinew-sewn throughout and retaining traces of old green pigment on the surface consistent with age and use. The original trade knife with wood handle is included, making this a complete and coherent object as it would have been worn and used. Provenance traces to Wisconsin Trade, placing the piece within the network of upper Midwest dealers and collectors through which significant Plains material entered private collections.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.