Tonga/Fiji Ula Throwing Club

A rare form of throwing-club with the head carved as a series of cut‐off stalks forming a conical top. The shaft and handle are plain and undecorated. The striking head resembles the top of a pandanus palm‐tree when all the fronds have been cut off. Most often Tongan and Fijian club forms are based on natural shapes and forms that are imitated with a high degree of stylization and a qualitative level reminiscent of early Japanese wood and root worked objects or Chinese philosopher stones. In the present case this club, used for throwing short distances (and in hand-to-hand combat) is superbly rendered with a remarkably refined simplicity and elegance.

Tonga or Fiji, Polynesia. 
Ironwood (casuarina esquitifolia), with a fine patina of wear and age, minor chips of a later period to the shaft on reverse. 
48 cm.
XIXth century or earlier.

 
 

Provenance Ex collection Andrë & Truus Mouton, Amsterdam. 

“Andrë was a welder at a shipyard. He later appeared in the film "Et si Rembrandt était protestant ?" by Claude Vajda. He and his wife collected tribal jewelry, Ibedji and things out of the ordinary they happened to like. He was an old school socialist with great knowledge of the arts and literature. He amazed everybody with his way of explaining politics, controversial exhibitions or discussions about behavior of dealers/collectors. In short, a great man who was not born on the sunny side of the street, but did not suffer because of that”. Mouton acquired most of his pieces from galleries Lemaire, Khepri, & from Loed van Bussel in Amsterdam in the 1960/70’s. (Personal communication : Loed van Bussel, 2014). 

Literature: Pub. : CASSE-TÊTE II : ARMES ET ARMEMENTS DE L'OCÉANIE. Exhibition catalogue, Gal. Meyer, Paris, 2022, pages 202-203

See two other examples collected by Edmond de Ginoux de la Coche between 1843 and 1850 in the collection of the Musée des Explorations du Monde, Cannes N° 2008.0.233 & 2013.0.46 ; another in the Musée du Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac N° 71.1917.1.103 D, another in the W.O. Oldman collection 614c. PL. 55, and yet another in the collection of Alexandre Bernand illustrated in CHASSEURS et GUERRIERS -­ Quand l’Art Tribal Envahit le Chateau de Longpra. Serge Le Guennan (ed.), Editions Glenat, Grenoble, 2014, p. 45 which makes 6 recorded examples of the type so far.