An extremely fine and old, two-handed apa’apai, a war-club, in the form of a stylized palm-leaf stalk. The head is seperated from the shaft by two finely carved beveled ridges. The top section on both sides of the head is inlayed with two whale-ivory sections : a round and a crescent. The entier club including the flattened top is covered with intricate incised geometric motifs representing the patterns of woven fiber mats.

Tongan Islands, Polynesia. Iron-wood (casuarina esquitifolia) and sperm-whale tooth, with a fine patina of age and wear. The butt lug is deficient. 113.5 X 13.3 X 4.6 cm. 18th century or earlier. From a French private collection.

Ref.: Meyer, Anthony JP.: CASSETETE. Catalogue d'exposition. Galerie Meyer, Paris. 1989. Phelps, Steven: ART AND ARTEFACTS OF THE PACIFIC, AFRICA, AND THE AMERICAS-THE JAMES HOOPER COLLECTION. Hutchinson & Co. LTD. and Christies, Manson & Woods, London. 1975. POLYNESIAN ARTEFACTS – THE OLDMAN COLLECTION. Memoirs of the Polynesian Society. vol. 15. The Polynesian Society, Wellington, 1953. Saint Cartmail, Keith; THE ART OF TONGA – KO E NGAAHI ’AATI’ O TONGA. G+B Arts International Ltd., Australia & UK, 1997.