The beadwork on this Native American coin purse--earlyish 20th c., made for the tourist trade--is very fine, done with tiny seed beads very tightly stitched to hide. And how to resist these wonderful blue birds, one pair on either side, forever facing one another as they perch on what looks both like bough and an anchor? I don't know enough to identify the tribe with certainty, but I believe Columbia River region Plateau, and am confident of the age, I think 1910s. Not a lost bead that I can see. Better for display than use (one could run a thread through the two holes at the top of the clasp to hang it); the top of the beading on one side has come a bit loose from the hardware; it is quite stable, and there is no threat of bead loss, but it makes it a bit vulnerable to lots of opening and closing of the purse itself.
3 5/8" x 3 5/8". First two images show one side then the other. As noted, beading it in excellent shape, no losses at all, but it is not tightly attached to the armature along the top of one side. All as documented.
You might also like
