Lot 57
AKAU TAU CLUB
TONGA ISLANDS
Auction: 28 May 2026 from 13:00 BST
Description
carved wood, the long cylindrical shaft tapering toward the grip, a raised collar below a broad leaf-shaped head terminating in a pointed tip, the entire surface densely covered with finely engraved chip-carved geometric ornament arranged in panels and bands
Dimensions
119.3cm long
Provenance
Private collection, United Kingdom; acquired on the art market in 2011; formerly in an old Warwickshire estate.
Footnote
The present example is a finely carved Akau Tau war club. Its geometric body, with characteristic angular facets, terminates in a pointed head typical of Tongan art. While the symbolic significance of the layout and motifs on Tongan clubs remains unclear, it likely relates to tattoo and bark-cloth patterns, which served as metaphors for chiefly qualities.