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The makers of certain examples of these weapons adapted the shape of the antler to include an asymmetrical dynamic in the design of the creature's head. In this club the head of a bird (possibly a raven) turns off to one side so that it looks at you out of one eye, as a bird often will. The beak is open, adding to the lively appearance of the image. The wings, feet and tail are engraved in the ivory-like antler surface, and a cross-hatched background that helps to set the feathers and claws apart from the club surface. At the handle end, the elongated head of another bird (this one with a beakful of teeth) is engraved facing the other way, its wings and tailfeathers extending back to meet the tips of the other bird's tail. The long, thin legs of the handle-bird follow the edge of the club, and bend forward so that the long talons curl around the end of the striking branch, contrasting against the textured cross-hatching.
The color and evidence of wear on this club, collected prior to 1867, suggest that it was several decades old at that time. The style of the engraved formlines and the liberal use of crosshatching suggest an early 19th-century date. A number of these impressive clubs are extant, some of which were also collected in the mid 19th century, and showed very great age at that time. One of the survivors, judging by its very archaic style of decoration and the degree of wear on its surface, could be literally several hundred years old (c.f. Furst and Furst 1986, fig.121.) Others exhibit a design style somewhere between that and the example illustrated here, the appearance of which suggests origins between the mid-18th and the early 19th centuries (c.f. Sainsbury 1978, fig. 271).
Exhibition History "Art Des Indiens D'Amerique Du Nord Dans La Collection D'Eugene Thaw," Mona Bismarck Foundation, Paris, France, Somogy Editions D'Art, January 21, 2000 - March 18, 2000.
"Art of the American Indian: The Thaw Collection," The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH, March 2, 2010 - May 30, 2010; Minneapolis Museum of Art, Minneapolis, MN, October 24, 2010 - January 9, 2011; Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX, April 24, 2011 - September 23, 2011; Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, IN, December 4, 2011 - February 12, 2012.
"American Indian Art from the Fenimore Art Museum: The Thaw Collection," The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, May 9, 2017 - October 8, 2017.
"American Indian Art from the Fenimore Art Museum: The Thaw Collection," Mitchell Gallery, St John's College, Annapolis, MD, February 28, 2020 - April 26, 2020.
ProvenanceAdmiral the Hon. George Fowler Hastings, collected in 1867; Mrs. Geoffrey Anderton (granddaughter of Hastings), England; Sotheby's, London, 1966; Merton Simpson, New York City; John Friede, Brooklyn, New York; private collection, Canada; Judith Small Nash, New York City
BibliographySotheby's. (London) November 26, 1966, p.22, lot 62c.
Vincent, Gilbert T. Masterpieces of American Indian Art. New York: Harry Abrams, 1995, p.74.
Perriot, Francoise, and Slim Batteux, trans. Arts des Indiens d'Amerique du Nord: Dans la Collection d'Eugene et Clare Thaw. Paris, Somogy edition d'Art, 1999, p. 128, fig. 103.
Vincent, Gilbert et al. Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection. Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2000, p.355.
Fognell, Eva, ed. Art of the American Indians: The Thaw Collection. Cooperstown, NY: Fenimore Art Museum, 2010, p. 144.
Fognell, Eva and Alexander Brier Marr, eds. Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection at the Fenimore Art Museum, 2nd ed. Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2016, p. 389.
Culture
Coast Tsimshian
Club
Date1800-1830
MediumCaribou or elk antler
DimensionsOverall: 5 × 1 × 16 1/2 in. (12.7 × 2.5 × 41.9 cm)
Object numberT0171
Credit LineLoan from the Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw Charitable Trust
Photograph by John Bigelow Taylor, NYC
Label TextA unique type of war club was made in the northern British Columbia from very ancient times, which probably originated among Athapaskan peoples. Relief-carved in the Northwest Coast style, the shape of the club appears to be adopted from the Athapaskan design. It was carved from either caribou or elk antler, tough and resilient material that could be engraved over its surface with two-dimensional designs of the owner's family history. Using a segment of the antler, the carver retained certain branching times and smoothly cut off others to create a formidable hand weapon. The base of one large tine is left to protrude from the main shaft of the club, into which could be joined a stone or iron point to make a fearsome-looking club even more terrifying. The makers of certain examples of these weapons adapted the shape of the antler to include an asymmetrical dynamic in the design of the creature's head. In this club the head of a bird (possibly a raven) turns off to one side so that it looks at you out of one eye, as a bird often will. The beak is open, adding to the lively appearance of the image. The wings, feet and tail are engraved in the ivory-like antler surface, and a cross-hatched background that helps to set the feathers and claws apart from the club surface. At the handle end, the elongated head of another bird (this one with a beakful of teeth) is engraved facing the other way, its wings and tailfeathers extending back to meet the tips of the other bird's tail. The long, thin legs of the handle-bird follow the edge of the club, and bend forward so that the long talons curl around the end of the striking branch, contrasting against the textured cross-hatching.
The color and evidence of wear on this club, collected prior to 1867, suggest that it was several decades old at that time. The style of the engraved formlines and the liberal use of crosshatching suggest an early 19th-century date. A number of these impressive clubs are extant, some of which were also collected in the mid 19th century, and showed very great age at that time. One of the survivors, judging by its very archaic style of decoration and the degree of wear on its surface, could be literally several hundred years old (c.f. Furst and Furst 1986, fig.121.) Others exhibit a design style somewhere between that and the example illustrated here, the appearance of which suggests origins between the mid-18th and the early 19th centuries (c.f. Sainsbury 1978, fig. 271).
Exhibition History "Art Des Indiens D'Amerique Du Nord Dans La Collection D'Eugene Thaw," Mona Bismarck Foundation, Paris, France, Somogy Editions D'Art, January 21, 2000 - March 18, 2000.
"Art of the American Indian: The Thaw Collection," The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH, March 2, 2010 - May 30, 2010; Minneapolis Museum of Art, Minneapolis, MN, October 24, 2010 - January 9, 2011; Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX, April 24, 2011 - September 23, 2011; Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, IN, December 4, 2011 - February 12, 2012.
"American Indian Art from the Fenimore Art Museum: The Thaw Collection," The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, May 9, 2017 - October 8, 2017.
"American Indian Art from the Fenimore Art Museum: The Thaw Collection," Mitchell Gallery, St John's College, Annapolis, MD, February 28, 2020 - April 26, 2020.
ProvenanceAdmiral the Hon. George Fowler Hastings, collected in 1867; Mrs. Geoffrey Anderton (granddaughter of Hastings), England; Sotheby's, London, 1966; Merton Simpson, New York City; John Friede, Brooklyn, New York; private collection, Canada; Judith Small Nash, New York City
BibliographySotheby's. (London) November 26, 1966, p.22, lot 62c.
Vincent, Gilbert T. Masterpieces of American Indian Art. New York: Harry Abrams, 1995, p.74.
Perriot, Francoise, and Slim Batteux, trans. Arts des Indiens d'Amerique du Nord: Dans la Collection d'Eugene et Clare Thaw. Paris, Somogy edition d'Art, 1999, p. 128, fig. 103.
Vincent, Gilbert et al. Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection. Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2000, p.355.
Fognell, Eva, ed. Art of the American Indians: The Thaw Collection. Cooperstown, NY: Fenimore Art Museum, 2010, p. 144.
Fognell, Eva and Alexander Brier Marr, eds. Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection at the Fenimore Art Museum, 2nd ed. Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2016, p. 389.
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