Quillwork

Antique Beadwork Admin — Sat, 04 Nov 2023 08:37:41 +0000

Quillwork is a form of textile embellishment traditionally practiced by Indigenous peoples of North America that employs the quills of porcupines as an aesthetic element. Quills from bird feathers were also occasionally used in quillwork. Reference: Wikipedia. Quillwork can also refer to the paper quillwork used as an artform, however this type of quillwork is rarely used with beads and is therefore not covered in this post.

Below are some examples and price guides of quillwork including a pictorial beaded scout’s jacket and an ermine war helmet.

A Fort Berthold pictorial quilled and beaded scout’s jacket
Partially beaded and quilled on ochre-pigmented hide, the face with beaded foliate and four-pointed star elements and a thunderbird on the right shoulder; the back quilled with pairs of radiating medallions and opposing horses and with beaded foliate designs on the arms; fringed along the seams.
length 29in, underarm width 19 1/2in

Sold for US$4,864 inc. premium at Bonham’s in 2023

Crow Split Horn Quillwork & Beadwork War Bonnet

a split horn ermine hide war bonnet attributed to the Crow and said to be from the ex-collection of the Dakota Frontier Museum display in Mitchell, South Dakota. The headdress or war bonnet is comprised of Indian brain-tanned Buffalo / Bison hide cap with hundreds of white ermine hides and tails attached to the top. There are two split and polished horns with old dyed horsetail hair tips with strips of porcupine quill work attached having sinew wrapping. The brown band is comprised of strips of tanned with artful porcupine quill quillwork done in cross motifs and glass trade pony wound glass pound beads in greasy blue.

Sold for US$7,000 at North American Auction Co. in 2023

Rare and authentic circa 1875 hide painted war shirt with quillwork and beadwork from the Southern Cheyenne Native American Indians. This is truly a masterpiece of American Indian art, showing exceptional craftsmanship and extraordinary art appeal. The piece dates to the 19th Century and shows a typical men’s warrior, war shirt pattern being comprised of Indian brain-tanned buckskin, with old blue mineral pigment and yellow ocher paint having a beaded trace clothe tabs or “bib” on the upper chest on both sides as well as dozens of long sections of black horse tail hair wrapped in quillwork and long quillwork sections.

Sold for US$27,500 at North American Auction Co. in 2023

PLAINS INDIAN BEADED & QUILLED KNIFE SHEATH & KNIFE. 8″ x 2″, sinew 4″ flanged throat which has white beaded edge, balance of decoration dyed quillwork. 8″ “WM GREAVES & SONS” marked knife with carved bone grip. This knife & sheath from the Floyd Ritter collection is pictured on page 3 of John Baldwin’s 1997 text “EARLY KNIVES & BEADED SCABBARDS OF THE AMERICAN FRONTIER”. CONDITION: good overall, sound, half bead trim missing, delicate quill work has large losses, only orange dyed panels remain.

Sold for US$550 at Poulin Antiques & Auctions in 2023

Native American Tobacco Bag. Bead and quill work throughout. Minorbead and quill loss. Measures 32in x 7in.

Sold for US$300 at Turner Auctions + Appraisals in 2022

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Quillwork