Oceania, New Zealand, ca. 1930s CE. A carved patu (war club), made of dark wood, with inlaid haliotis (abalone) shell forming the eyes of an acrobatic anthropomorphc figure that is on one side. The handle is zoomorphic, shaped like the head of a snarling creature. The patu is a traditional weapon form of the Maori people, who, prior to European arrival in New Zealand, fought between their tribes using hand-to-hand combat. This example is made from a particularly beautiful piece of wood, polished to a matte sheen. Size: 5" W x 15.45" H (12.7 cm x 39.2 cm); 17.55" H (44.6 cm) on included custom stand.

See a Maori club of different form but carved in a similar manner at the British Museum: http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=515061&partId=1&searchText=maori+patu&images=true&page=1; see a Maori statue depicting a figure wielding a patu at the Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford, UK: http://objects.prm.ox.ac.uk/pages/PRMUID128382.html

Provenance: private Newport Beach, California, USA collection

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#135659

Tiny chips, nicks, and scratches from the wooden surface. All shells are present.