Oceania, Tonga, ca. 20th century CE. A sumptuous example of a war club known as an 'akau tau' (literally "war stave") hand-carved from mocha-hued hardwood to present a diamond-shaped, crested head that tapers to a cylindrical handle. The surface is adorned with meticulously carved abstract and geometric inlays of shell and soil that nicely contrast with the rich color of the wood. Four jagged points protrude from the sides of the club, adding to both the ornamentation and menace of this fascinating weapon. Tongan clubs, like many other Polynesian war clubs, struck the European imagination deeply, with the first knowledge of these objects outside of Polynesia coming from Captain Cook's voyages. Size: 2.9" L x 5.3" W x 43.8" H (7.4 cm x 13.5 cm x 111.3 cm); 46.5" H (118.1 cm) on included custom stand.

George Forster, who accompanied Cook on his second expedition, wrote in his 1773 "A Voyage Round the World," "the clubs of the people of this isle, were of an infinite variety of shapes, and many of them so ponderous that we could scarce manage them with one hand... the whole surface of the plain clubs was as highly polished, as if our best workmen had made them with the best instruments."

Provenance: private Newport Beach, California, USA collection

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#135716

Chipping to raised points, especially corners of head, as well as missing inlays in areas. Some nicks and scratches commensurate with age, but otherwise mostly intact with rich patina and good remaining detail.