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Club

19th–early 20th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 353
Clubs like this, with its elegant leaf-like blade bisected by a central midrib, are found on the central and western islands of Santa Isabel and Guadalcanal. Such clubs were used in war, as makers of rank and status, and in the performance of war dances. This example has human figures carved into the blade on either side. The raised arms of these figures are mirrored in the human faces also carved at the lower end of the club, which opens into a serrated edge, likely an interpretation of the teeth and open jaw of a crocodile. Staffs were often carved with crocodile motifs, that were on occasion, shown clutching a human head in their jaws – a powerful symbol of the prestige and spiritual power associated with the practice of headhunting.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Club
  • Artist: Santa Isabel Island artist
  • Date: 19th–early 20th century
  • Geography: Solomon Islands, Santa Isabel Island, Isabel Province
  • Culture: Santa Isabel Island
  • Medium: Wood
  • Dimensions: W. 4 3/8 × D. 1 1/4 × L. 51 in. (11.1 × 3.2 × 129.5 cm)
  • Classification: Wood-Implements
  • Credit Line: The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1979
  • Object Number: 1979.206.1407
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing

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