Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Fire Bag
Unrecorded Cree or Anishinaabe (Ojibwa) Artist First Nations
Not on view
Traditionally, women artists dyed and then flattened porcupine quills with their teeth or fingernails in order to use them for decoration. The ornamentation on this bag demonstrates its author’s mastery of quillwork. The two panels feature a quadripartite design and a stepped motif flanking checkerboard blocks on a white background. Hide fringe loops delicately wrapped in quills embellish the pouch, which would have held flint, steel, and other implements used to make fire.
This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.