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War Club (‘U’u)
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The head of this war club is carved as an abstract face, with small additional faces appearing at the eyes, nose, and forehead. Low-relief patterns encircle the club's neck. Fashioned from dense-grained ironwood (casuarina) or toa wood, the club is quite heavy. Like stilt footrests, war clubs were carved by expert artists (tahuna) and cured in the mud of a taro patch. The glossy finish is the result of regular rubbing and polishing with scented coconut oil. Similar war clubs were seen and recorded by the crew of Captain Cook's second voyage to the South Seas in 1772-75.
| Artist / Maker | Anonymous, early 19th Century |
|---|---|
| Date | early 1800s |
| Culture / Origin | Polynesia, Marquesas Islands, early 19th Century |
| Medium | stained ironwood |
| Dimensions | Overall: 148.2 x 19.8 x 11.2 cm (58 3/8 x 7 13/16 x 4 7/16 in.) |
| Department | Oceania |
| Type | Sculpture |
About the Artist
Provenance & Source
Image & data: Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 / Public Domain.
Condition
A detailed condition report and high-resolution photography are available from our specialists in advance of the sale.
Shipping & Collection
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