Tongan
Circa 1840
Wood
Length: 33 3/4 in. (85.7 cm)
Provenance: Private collection, Maine
Tongan war clubs were among the most formally varied and technically accomplished weapons produced in Polynesia, with distinct named types associated with different combat functions and social contexts. Carved clubs of this type were status objects as well as weapons, and their surface ornament placed them within a broader Tongan tradition of geometric carving applied to objects of chiefly significance. This example dates to circa 1840 and comes from a private Maine collection.
The club has a broad, flat blade tapering through a long octagonal shaft to a rounded handle terminal, the full surface covered with fine incised geometric ornament in the characteristic Tongan register pattern. The carving is consistently executed across both faces and the shaft, with the density of the patterning typical of mid-nineteenth century Tongan club production. The wood has developed a deep, even dark patina through age and handling.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Tongan
Circa 1840
Wood
Length: 33 3/4 in. (85.7 cm)
Provenance: Private collection, Maine
Tongan war clubs were among the most formally varied and technically accomplished weapons produced in Polynesia, with distinct named types associated with different combat functions and social contexts. Carved clubs of this type were status objects as well as weapons, and their surface ornament placed them within a broader Tongan tradition of geometric carving applied to objects of chiefly significance. This example dates to circa 1840 and comes from a private Maine collection.
The club has a broad, flat blade tapering through a long octagonal shaft to a rounded handle terminal, the full surface covered with fine incised geometric ornament in the characteristic Tongan register pattern. The carving is consistently executed across both faces and the shaft, with the density of the patterning typical of mid-nineteenth century Tongan club production. The wood has developed a deep, even dark patina through age and handling.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
