Large Sword Club from Far North Queensland

A large sword club, Far North Queensland (nineteenth century),…
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A large sword club, Far North Queensland (nineteenth century), carved hardwood and resin, 151.6 cm high. Provenance: Private Collection, Sydney. The commanding presence of this sword club belies its traditional use. It is one of the widest and largest bladed examples that I have had the privilege to handle. This particular sword club must have been held by a native tribesman of very high esteem and interestingly, these clubs (along with rainforest shields) were traditionally owned and used by some of the smallest Indigenous people of Australia. The sweeping sculptural aesthetic qualities of this particularly large example (not unlike the kidney-shaped shields) make them some of the most highly collected of Australian Indigenous artefacts. D'lan Davidson

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