Seal Club
CultureHaida, British Columbia, Canada
Dateca. 1830-1860
MediumWood
DimensionsOverall: 3 1/4 × 2 1/4 × 28 7/8 inches (8.26 × 5.72 × 73.34 cm)
Credit LineFrom the Estelle and Morton Sosland Collection
Object number2009.41.15
On View
On viewGallery Location
- 206
Collections
DescriptionWooden club in the shape of an elongated animal depicted through stylized relief carving.Gallery LabelClubs of this type were commonly used for killing seals and sea otters taken with harpoons, as well as halibut and salmon. Few, however, were as elaborately decorated as this finely balanced carving. The club is covered with imagery carved in relief representing a sea lion, one of the region's strongest and most efficient sea hunters. The expertly conceived design, while abstract, clearly depicts the features of the animal's head as well as its body, joints and flippers along the sides of the club's shaft.
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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