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| This remarkable and rare example of prehistoric American Indian art was fashioned, ground and polished from a carefully selected piece of steatite. Sculptural features include the feet on the underside, and detailed beak area. 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 embedded in a pitch-pine adhesive to prevent them from falling from the eye socket. It measures 4 7/8 inches in length by 2 1/4 inches in width and is a remarkably thin in the wings. There are two old labels on the underside of the wing; 8932, and N3. The origin is listed as Bacon County Georgia and is probably associated with the late Mississippian culture or early historic. This pipe does not show in the B.W. Stephens catalog I or II. It has been theorized that it is possible this pipe was obtained by B.W. Stephens while working the Payne collection for sale. According to Ben Thompson B.W. Stephens work in preparing the Payne collection for sale was paid for in relics from the Payne collection. B.W. Stephens had a passion for pipes. While editor for the Illinois State Archaeological Society he wrote a column titled "Comments on Some Aboriginal Tobacco Pipes" which appeared in the Central States Archaeological Societies Journal October 1958, Volume 5 Number 2. B.W. Stephens also performed the duties of the Central States Archaeological Societies Librarian. Email for
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