This remarkable example of prehistoric American Indian art was fashioned, ground and polished from a carefully selected piece of black, with some red, steatite. The eye sockets have been pecked out after the polishing of the pipe was completed. These eye sockets were hollowed out to hold a fresh water pearl that would of given the appearance of an eye, with the possibility of a pupil painted thereon. The pearls were likely imbedded in a pitch-pine adhesive to prevent them from falling from the eye socket.
It measures 4 7/8 inches in length by 2 ¼ inches in width and is a remarkably thin in the wings. The underside of the pipe has the birds’ feet carved tucked and facing the head. The pipe bowl is square, approximately 1 1/8 inch x 1 1/8 inch shaped with rounded corners. The pipe bowl set back from the tip of the head 1 ¼ inches. The inside of the bowl is unpolished. There are two old labels; 8932, and N3. The origin is listed as Bacon Co GA.
8932 is Ben Thompson's label.
Ben is seen in the photograph holding the pipe. The photo was taken at Ben's home in Kirkwood Missouri.
I took the first two, Art Gerber took the tan back ground photo at the 2007 Owensboro Ky show
Provenance:
Purchased 01/15/2007 from Ben W Thompson of St. Louis Missouri
Ben is past president of St. Louis Archaeological society, Who's Who In Indian Relics
(2) Ben W Thompson
Purchased from Aubrey B. Davault of Vichy Missouri Fall 2005
(3) Aubrey B. Davault
Purchased from Walter G. Barnes estate about Nov 2000 (a)(b)
Walter G. Barnes Past President of the St. Louis society in the 1970's (d: 1999)
(4) Walter G. Barnes
Purchased from the collection B.W. Stephens of Quincy Ill (d: ~ 1970)
B.W. Stephens was Past President of the Illinois State Archaeological Society and author of "Pipes from Mounds in Adams County Illinois" CSASI editor 1958
(5) B.W. Stephens
It measures 4 7/8 inches in length by 2 ¼ inches in width and is a remarkably thin in the wings. The underside of the pipe has the birds’ feet carved tucked and facing the head. The pipe bowl is square, approximately 1 1/8 inch x 1 1/8 inch shaped with rounded corners. The pipe bowl set back from the tip of the head 1 ¼ inches. The inside of the bowl is unpolished. There are two old labels; 8932, and N3. The origin is listed as Bacon Co GA.
8932 is Ben Thompson's label.
Ben is seen in the photograph holding the pipe. The photo was taken at Ben's home in Kirkwood Missouri.
I took the first two, Art Gerber took the tan back ground photo at the 2007 Owensboro Ky show
Provenance:
Purchased 01/15/2007 from Ben W Thompson of St. Louis Missouri
Ben is past president of St. Louis Archaeological society, Who's Who In Indian Relics
(2) Ben W Thompson
Purchased from Aubrey B. Davault of Vichy Missouri Fall 2005
(3) Aubrey B. Davault
Purchased from Walter G. Barnes estate about Nov 2000 (a)(b)
Walter G. Barnes Past President of the St. Louis society in the 1970's (d: 1999)
(4) Walter G. Barnes
Purchased from the collection B.W. Stephens of Quincy Ill (d: ~ 1970)
B.W. Stephens was Past President of the Illinois State Archaeological Society and author of "Pipes from Mounds in Adams County Illinois" CSASI editor 1958
(5) B.W. Stephens
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