North America, Canada, ca. early 19th century CE. A fascinating and rare artifact, a hand-worked silver three-barred cross made by the silversmith Charles Arnaldi (1779-1817 CE) of the Montreal Hudson Bay Fur Company. The surface of the cross is stamped with hallmarks - "CA" for Arnaldi, "HB" with a beaver over the letters, the hallmark of the Company, and, at the bottom, its place of manufacture, "MONTREAL." Tiny flourishes form a border and there is an inlaid piece of bright green glass in the center. A strand of seventy-six translucent green glass trade beads, most faceted and hexagonal interspersed with smaller cylindrical ones, completes the item and matches the color of the glass inlay on the cross. These beads were probably made in Austria and imported to Canada. Size of cross: 2.95" W x 5.7" H (7.5 cm x 14.5 cm); bead strand is 29" (73.7 cm)

Trade silver and trade beads were used by Europeans to form economic relationships with Indigenous people in North America during the period of the fur trade. They were excellent currency because they were easy to carry long distances. Competition between trading companies was fierce, especially during the early 19th century, then the Hudson's Bay Company competed with the North West Company, who had built a series of forts from the St. Lawrence River to the Rocky Mountains. The North West Company also innovated by beginning to trade silver items, forcing the Hudson's Bay Company to do the same. This is a fantastic item for anyone interested in First Nations history, frontier history, or Canadian history!

Provenance: private R.D. collection, Long Beach, California, USA collection, acquired over twenty five years from various major galleries

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#124301

Fine patina on surface from age and handling. Glass bead inlaid in center of the cross is lightly scratched on the surface, as are some of the glass beads in the necklace strand. Overall excellent.