Ojibwe, Great Lakes region
Circa 1860
Glass beads, trade cloth
Height 38 1/2" (97.8 cm) Width 12 1/4" (31.1 cm)
Provenance: Personal collection of Richard Pohrt, Wisconsin
This Ojibwe bandolier bag is worked in a bold geometric vocabulary executed with loom beading and spot stitching across both the strap and pouch, with strong contrasting colors organized into diamond and chevron forms. The composition is tightly structured and visually commanding, reflecting the confidence of a skilled beadworker working within a well established geometric tradition. Trade cloth in red provides the ground for the lower pouch panel, a material widely adopted across Great Lakes beadwork by the mid nineteenth century.
The Richard Pohrt provenance is notably, Pohrt was among the most respected collectors and scholars of Great Lakes Native American material in the twentieth century, and objects from his collection carry significant weight in the field. Bandolier bags were prestige objects beaded by women and worn ceremonially, considered among the most culturally significant productions of the communities that made them. This example, with its strong graphic presence and distinguished provenance, is a well documented piece from the height of the Great Lakes beadwork tradition.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Ojibwe, Great Lakes region
Circa 1860
Glass beads, trade cloth
Height 38 1/2" (97.8 cm) Width 12 1/4" (31.1 cm)
Provenance: Personal collection of Richard Pohrt, Wisconsin
This Ojibwe bandolier bag is worked in a bold geometric vocabulary executed with loom beading and spot stitching across both the strap and pouch, with strong contrasting colors organized into diamond and chevron forms. The composition is tightly structured and visually commanding, reflecting the confidence of a skilled beadworker working within a well established geometric tradition. Trade cloth in red provides the ground for the lower pouch panel, a material widely adopted across Great Lakes beadwork by the mid nineteenth century.
The Richard Pohrt provenance is notably, Pohrt was among the most respected collectors and scholars of Great Lakes Native American material in the twentieth century, and objects from his collection carry significant weight in the field. Bandolier bags were prestige objects beaded by women and worn ceremonially, considered among the most culturally significant productions of the communities that made them. This example, with its strong graphic presence and distinguished provenance, is a well documented piece from the height of the Great Lakes beadwork tradition.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
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