A lacquered club in a geometric shape. The club has a fine decorative pattern engraved onto the surface. Label: one blue exhibition label, printed.
This club was probably used in warfare around the 18th and 19th century. It bears complex motifs, which may have had significant meanings to the users. The motifs here are generally abstract and most likely represent similar styles used in the Guianas-region (Surinam, Guyana, Venezuela, French Guiana) around the late 17th or early 18-19th Century. The general pattern appears to represent a jungle scene and water. There is a central recurring pattern that looks like a large manatee or equivalent water-dwelling animal. Close to the large motif are smaller ones that at times appear to resemble heads of predators such as jaguars. There are also plants, such as the giant water lilies that are depicted. The motifs are bordered at the lower end by three horizontally layered sausage-shaped patterns, which are filled with criss-crossed patterns. For every three of these sausage-shaped patterns, there is a vertical one.
fighting
