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The carving of a human face on a ball of war clubs was a minor tradition represented by some extremely rare and early tribes from the central Atlantic seaboard and by later examples for the regions south and west of the Great Lakes. Neither the early nor the later examples of this art form resemble the remarkable carving on this club. Also unusual is the squared haft, the crude volute at the base of the handle, the projection at the back of the head, the painted eyebrows, and the wide mouth.
The treatment of the eyes and ears is reminiscent of the famous marble statues found at the Etoqah Mounds in Georgia, and a bun-like projection at the back of the head is occasionally seen on other Southeastern sculpture from the Mississippian Period. In this connection it may be significant that this club was apparently acquired in Virginia. However, this club does not date back to the 14th century, and ball-headed war clubs were not used by Native warriors in the Southeast.
The war club was submitted for analysis at the Williamstown Regional Art Conservation Laboratory in Williamstown, Massachusetts. X-rays showed the nails to be wrought, one or two are possibly cut. Paint analysis revealed two layers of natural black and red pigments and a final layer of tan paint with titanium (post 1910) with the eyes picked out in blue. Physical evidence suggests an 18th- or early 19th-century date, but the war club remains an enigmatic object because nothing else like it is known. (From the Catalog of the Thaw Collection of American Indian Art, 2nd ed.)
ProvenancePrivate collection, Virginia, c. 1920; Greg Quevillon, Santa Fe, New Mexico; Sotheby's London, England; Jonathan Holstein, Cazenovia, New York
BibliographySotheby's, (London) 16 June 1980, pp.10-11, lot 35.
Vincent, Gilbert T. Masterpieces of American Indian Art. New York: Harry Abrams, 1995, p.22.
Vincent, Gilbert et al. Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection. Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2000, p.95.
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. 93.
Possibly
Lenape (Delaware)
Possibly
Haudenosaunee (Iroquois)
Effigy Club
Date1770-1800
MediumWood, iron, pigments
DimensionsOverall: 4 1/2 × 5 1/2 × 20 3/4 in. (11.4 × 14 × 52.7 cm)
Object numberT0029
Credit LineGift of Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw
Photograph by John Bigelow Taylor, NYC
Label TextThis ball-headed war club, carved from one piece of fine-grained hardwood, is stained all over with red ochre. A human face is carved on the front of the ball, the elongated nose on the same plane as the forehead, but the prominent ears project beyond the ball. The eyes are almond-shaped and defined by a sharp raised ridge. The mouth is wide and straight. At the back of the head is a cylindrical projection ringed with a wrought iron band, held in place by iron nails of the 18th-century vintage. Four similar nails are hammered into the center of the cylinder, and there are small nail holes above this cylinder in the rear of the head. Originally the eyes and eyebrows were painted black, and black paint is used to represent the hair. The central parting is indicated by a red painted line.The carving of a human face on a ball of war clubs was a minor tradition represented by some extremely rare and early tribes from the central Atlantic seaboard and by later examples for the regions south and west of the Great Lakes. Neither the early nor the later examples of this art form resemble the remarkable carving on this club. Also unusual is the squared haft, the crude volute at the base of the handle, the projection at the back of the head, the painted eyebrows, and the wide mouth.
The treatment of the eyes and ears is reminiscent of the famous marble statues found at the Etoqah Mounds in Georgia, and a bun-like projection at the back of the head is occasionally seen on other Southeastern sculpture from the Mississippian Period. In this connection it may be significant that this club was apparently acquired in Virginia. However, this club does not date back to the 14th century, and ball-headed war clubs were not used by Native warriors in the Southeast.
The war club was submitted for analysis at the Williamstown Regional Art Conservation Laboratory in Williamstown, Massachusetts. X-rays showed the nails to be wrought, one or two are possibly cut. Paint analysis revealed two layers of natural black and red pigments and a final layer of tan paint with titanium (post 1910) with the eyes picked out in blue. Physical evidence suggests an 18th- or early 19th-century date, but the war club remains an enigmatic object because nothing else like it is known. (From the Catalog of the Thaw Collection of American Indian Art, 2nd ed.)
ProvenancePrivate collection, Virginia, c. 1920; Greg Quevillon, Santa Fe, New Mexico; Sotheby's London, England; Jonathan Holstein, Cazenovia, New York
BibliographySotheby's, (London) 16 June 1980, pp.10-11, lot 35.
Vincent, Gilbert T. Masterpieces of American Indian Art. New York: Harry Abrams, 1995, p.22.
Vincent, Gilbert et al. Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection. Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2000, p.95.
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. 93.
On View
Not on view1825-1850
c. 1780
