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Old 21st October 2020, 09:03 PM   #1
drac2k
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Default African War Club??

I just picked up this war club or at least I think it is. It is 19" long, almost 4" in diameter at the head. It has the weight and feel of a fighting club, however, the face carving would make it impractical for such.
Does anyone know what this is and where it comes from?
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Old 21st October 2020, 09:56 PM   #2
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why not a picture of the face?
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Old 22nd October 2020, 12:08 AM   #3
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A club so ugly that one can not see the face..........the last picture; I'll try to take a better one.
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Old 22nd October 2020, 02:12 AM   #4
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My African face club discussion for comparison:

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...highlight=face
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Old 22nd October 2020, 05:42 AM   #5
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I think I found my long lost brother! With the offset head, I feel mine could be patterned after a Massi Rungu Club.
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Old 22nd October 2020, 07:50 AM   #6
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Good possibility...
My rungu for comparison. One ebony, one from a lighter wood. Your back-of-the-head photo hints at a lighter wood, stained or fire blackened.
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Old 22nd October 2020, 09:54 PM   #7
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3 more pictures that are a little better.
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Old 23rd October 2020, 02:43 AM   #8
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Lew had one of these in his collection:
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Old 23rd October 2020, 02:11 PM   #9
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Interesting comparison; are we sure that mine is African?
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Old 23rd October 2020, 04:41 PM   #10
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Health to all,
of course I have no idea if it could be an object similar to that of drac2K, but I found this one, offered at an auction, defined as "This anthropomorphic Makonde sculpture is the plug of a medicine box. It would close a calabash, filled with magical substances. The face faithfully reproduces the traditional Makonde scarifications, aesthetic criteria valuing the members of the tribe."
From Mozambique.
This item is 24cm (about 10 inches) long.
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Old 23rd October 2020, 05:41 PM   #11
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The pierced ears suggest there was some form of decoration, which would not be of much help if it were a club. I suspect it is a wand or sceptre, that kind of thing, or even simply a toy or doll.
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Old 23rd October 2020, 06:32 PM   #12
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This one is bit of a beast. 55cm long the head is 15cm x 13cm a circumference of roughly 42cm, inlay with a white metal most probably aluminium. Sorry about the rubbish photo but a little sort of light and using the flash.
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Old 24th October 2020, 03:35 PM   #13
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Your example, though better carved than mine, I think more closely resembles the facial features of my club; especially the ears and the nose. Do you know where it comes from?
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Old 24th October 2020, 06:50 PM   #14
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I am not completely sure but I think it may be from the former French Gabon.
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Old 25th October 2020, 05:52 AM   #15
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Awesome piece!
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Old 25th October 2020, 10:17 AM   #16
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Thank you. It is quite impressive and because it was hidden on a shelf when I liquidated the bulk of my collection, I have it still which I am pleased about. I base the Gabon origin on the style of head and faces of Gabon relicquary box carved figures. You can see from this example.
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