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Pipe Tomahawk by J. Wilson

Currency:USD Category:Art Start Price:2,500.00 USD Estimated At:10,000.00 - 15,000.00 USD
Pipe Tomahawk by J. Wilson
<B>Pipe Tomahawk by J. Wilson</B></I><BR>Circa 1850<BR>Length 23 in. overall; Length 8 1/2 in. the blade<BR><BR>The hand forged iron blade is decorated on one side with a brass inlaid foliate motif and cold stamped five point stars at the corners. The opposing side is rocker engraved with a similar foliate design and the same cold stamped stars. The blade is fitted to an ash wood handle with a carved scallop pattern near the top, hot file branding overall, and a deep brown patina.<BR>The majority of pipe tomahawks were made by frontier blacksmiths who labored in obscurity. By and large, little is known about them and their craft. Wilson embellished the classic features of the Plains tomahawk with stamping, engraving, and inlay. His tomahawk blades are quite distinctive and readily identifiable. Examples are present in a number of important collections. Harold Peterson illustrates two Wilson tomahawks in his classic study (See: Peterson, Harold, <I>American Indian Tomahawks,</B></I> Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation, 1971, item 188, p. 118 and item 198, p. 120). Both tomahawks are in the collections of the National Museum of the American Indian. Another example is rocker engraved with the words "Made by J. Wilson" along the edge of the blade. This tomahawk was collected from an Omaha Indian around 1860. (See: Baldwin, John, <I>Tomahawks and Pipe Axes of the American Frontier,</B></I> Early American Artistry Trading Company, West Olive, Michigan, 1995, p. 103.)<BR><BR>Provenance<BR>Chandler-Pohrt Collection, catalogue number 618.<BR><BR> <BR><BR><B>Important notic