bag, quilled

bag, quilled

bag, quilled

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Introduction

An Anishinaabe hide bag decorated with quillwork on the front side, decorated with the otter tail motif, crosses and circles. Collected by G.C. Beltrami in Wisconsin in 1823. Around 1856, Beltrami's nephew donated several objects, including this one, to the Civic Library of Bergamo. Later the collection was transferred to the Museo Civico di Scienze Naturali, its current location.

Nation of Maker: Anishinaabe Menomini Potawatomi Other
Nation of Origin

The Anishinaabe were in the Upper Mississippi region in the early 19th century.
According to Tanner (1987), "The Wisconsin region, a part of Michigan Territory in 1830, retained its characteristic population of four major Indian tribes, Winnebago [Ho-Chunk], Menominee, Ojibwa [Anishinaabe], and Potawatomi, as well as a small number of French and Métis." (p.143)

Summary of Source(s) for this Relative

Museum documentation and secondary sources.

Materials

hide, porcupine quills, cream, blue, red; commercial cotton yarn/thread; animal skin(?)

Techniques or Format

Made from hide and decorated with quillwork. There are remnants of what appears to be animal skin on the back, which might once have been a piece of fur.

Motifs and Patterns

Equidistant crosses with curved ends, circles, otter tail motif

Other Notes

Vigorelli in the Beltrami Collection catalogue states that the back part of the bag was;" costitutita di una porzione di pelle di anatra selvatica completa di piume fissata con cucitura in filo commerciale marrone. Le decorazioni in aculei rappresentano il motivo a doppia curva nella fascia centrale e corpi celesti nelle bande laterali." (p. 64)

Dimensions: 32 × 23 × 0 cm
Condition: Fair. Some of the quillwork has faded and is disintegrating.
Current Location: Museo Civico di Scienze Naturali, Bergamo, Italy
Catalogue, Accession or Reference Number: grasac_1522
Collection at Current Location: Collezione Beltrami
Date of Acquisition by the Institution: 1850s
Who the Institution Acquired the Relative or Heritage Item From: The Civic Library of Bergamo
Date Relative was First Removed or Collected from its Community Context: 1823
Collection Narratives and Histories

Collected by G.C. Beltrami from Wisconsin in 1823. Beltrami's collection catalogue states that around 1856, Beltrami's nephew donated several objects to the Civic Library of Bergamo, which were later transferred to the Museo Civico di Scienze Naturali.

Exhibition History

The Beltrami Collection was exhibited in Florence in 1929 during the "Prima Esposizione Nazionale di Storia delle Scienze" (First National Exposition of History of Sciences"). In 1973, during a celebration of the Beltrami exhibit, Glauco Luchetti donated three objects from his own collection, which were located in Beltrami's last house in Filottrano, to the "Museo Civico E. Caffi". In 1987 the collection was used in the exhibit entitled "Missisippi 1823. Oggetti indiani raccolti da G. Costantino Beltrami" in the Galleria Lorenzelli in Bergamo.

Publication History

Beltrami s catalogue. Vigorelli, Gli Oggetti indiani raccolti da G.Costantino Beltrami (p.64).

Sources to Learn More

Leonardo Vigorelli, Gli Oggetti indiani raccolti da G.Costantino Beltrami, Civico Museo E. Caffi, Bergamo, 1987

GKS Reference Number: 25648
Record Creation Context

This record was first created by Emanuela Rossi after a trip funded by GRASAC to the Museo Civico E. Caffi in Bergamo, Italy in October 2008.

Record Creation Notes/Observations

Researchers present: Emanuela Rossi

Approximate Place of Origin

43.7918, -84.2994

Source of Information about Places

In the Beltrami Collection Catalogue, the author, Leonardo Vigorelli, defines "Upper Mississippi" the Cultural Area of Origin. He defines "Northeast" as the Geographic Area.

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