War Club
CultureGreat Lakes, possibly Eastern or Southern region
Dateca. 1750
MediumWood (maple)
DimensionsOverall: 21 1/2 × 6 1/4 × 2 3/4 inches (54.61 × 15.88 × 6.99 cm)
Credit LinePurchase: acquired through the generosity of Mick and Kathy Aslin and the M&I Bank Foundation in honor of the 75th anniversary of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
Object number2008.17
On View
On viewGallery Location
- 208
Collections
DescriptionCarved wooden club, dark brown in color; club curves at the top forming a ball with handle tapering towards a point.Gallery LabelBall-headed war clubs of the Woodlands and Eastern Plains peoples are among the most important forms of American Indian sculptural expression. This club incorporates the stylized image of a living creature within its form-an animal, almost certainly a panther, gripping a ball in its mouth. The composition is a common device, usually thought to represent the owner's guardian spirit. Skillfully carved from the knots of trees and imbued with sacred associations, perfectly designed weapons such as this are elegant examples of the carver's handling of restrained abstraction, proportion and balance.
Torrence, Gaylord, ed. Continuum: North American Native Art at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Kansas City: Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.
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