Crow Pictorial Antler Quirt

This is an excellent and exceptionally rare Elk Antler quirt with Buffalo & Elk scrimshaw from the Crow Native American Indians of the Northern Plains dating to circa 1860. The piece is comprised of a large Rocky Mountain Elk antler with wood and solid brass trade tack stud held thick harness leather whip front. The entire Elk antler is covered in original Crow incised carved / engravings including geometric bands, kill marks, hour glass or triangular symbols and lastly at the end three early scrimshaw etchings done by hand depicting a two large bull Elk and a Buffalo. The scrimshaw has fine detail and shows the correct early forms being one of the early scrimshawed Crow piece being offered for sale. The end of the antler has a jagged precisely hand cut design. The antler has a heavy weight with deep yellow original patina and remnants of old mineral pigment red ocher coloring. The piece is very similar to the quirt from the Marvin Lince collection sold by Cowan's in 2013 for $20,000 and the quirt published in Native American Horse Gear: A Golden Age of Equine-Inspired Art of the Nineteenth Century and sold by Cowan's in 2021 for $14,000. Museum collection number E1049.