Plains Beadwork and Quirts

1)  Lakota elk antler quirt with beaded wriststrap - $4,600.
2 ) Lakota elk antler quirt with beaded wriststrap (detail) 
3)  Lakota elk antler quirt with beaded wriststrap (detail)
4) Northern Plains elk antler quirt with original hide wriststrap - $3,600.
5) Northern Plains elk antler quirt with original hide wriststrap (detail)
6) Ute tab bag -  $3,600.
7) Ute tab bag (detail)
8) Ute tab bag (back)
9) Northern Plains dispatch case  - $2,400.
10)  Northern Plains dispatch case  (detail)
11)  Lakota Pipebag - $3,600.
12)  Lakota Pipebag (detail)
13)  Lakota Pipebag (reverse side)
14)  Lakota Pipebag (reverse side, detail)
15) Arapaho whetstone case - $1,800.
​16) Arapaho whetstone case (back)
17) Cheyenne paint bag - $1,800.
18) Cheyenne paint bag (reverse side)

All items subject to previous sale and prices subject to change.

​John Molloy Gallery is pleased to offer antique Native American Plains Beadwork and Quirts including, two incised elk antler quirts from the Helene Sage Collection. Both quirts have their original lashes and wriststraps, one of which is beaded. These quirts embody the Native American tradition of transforming animal parts into artistic utilitarian objects that after years of use, have acquired a surface patina that radiates a way of life. The beadwork in this exhibition is all 19th Century, from the period of artistic renaissance when the Plains Indian lifestyle was impacted by the arrival of the Euro Americans.

The history of the American West could be written as an exchange of land for art supplies. Artists always reflect changes in society. As land was being taken away from Native Americans, there was an explosion of artistic creation, using new materials to create new art forms within traditional cultures.