Important Iroquois Ball-Headed Club - SOLD
Iroquois Confederacy, Pennsylvania
Length 19 3/4”
17th-18th Century
Provenance: Retrieved by General Henry Bouquet during the decisive Battle of Bushy Run in 1764 - Westmoreland, Pennsylvania. Thence by descent to a Pennsylvania family for approximately 250 years, where it remained as a treasured family heirloom.
Ron Van Anda, Lititz, Pennsylvania.
Art Loss Register certificate provided (ALR S00248449)
Both elegant and deadly, Iroquois ball-headed clubs combined the refinement of form with a fearsome efficiency of function. Carved from a single piece of hardwood, the clubs were extremely well balanced and were designed to inflict a devastating blow to one’s adversary. The wood used for these clubs was carefully selected from the lower curved portion of a branch adjoining the tree, assuring the natural structural strength of the club’s curved form. The dense ball heads, called ojighwa - meaning turnip, were cleverly carved in a manner so that they appeared distinct and separate from the club, while tightly grasped by the handle.
Undoubtedly, the use of ball headed clubs pre-dates European contact and their use as a weapon continued for more than two hundred years during the North American colonial wars. They were produced and wielded by the American Indian peoples of the Northeast and Great Lakes region, including the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy. Remarkably, the club presented here was wielded by an Iroquois warrior against British forces during the decisive Battle of Bushy Run, which took place on August 5th, 1764 in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. Swiss born General Henry Bouquet led a relief column of some five hundred British soldiers to relieve neighboring Fort Pitt. The column was soon ambushed by a large contingent of allied tribes and both sides suffered significant losses. General Bouquet, after a two-day battle, successfully routed the tribes and later relieved the garrison of Fort Pitt. The British victory was a decisive moment as it opened the gateway to western expansion.
While the exceptional ball-headed club presented here exudes a powerful and menacing presence, it is also a sublime work of art. The club’s elegant and deeply arched form and graceful tapered lines are complemented by its smooth polished surface and rich dark patina.
Iroquois Confederacy, Pennsylvania
Length 19 3/4”
17th-18th Century
Provenance: Retrieved by General Henry Bouquet during the decisive Battle of Bushy Run in 1764 - Westmoreland, Pennsylvania. Thence by descent to a Pennsylvania family for approximately 250 years, where it remained as a treasured family heirloom.
Ron Van Anda, Lititz, Pennsylvania.
Art Loss Register certificate provided (ALR S00248449)
Both elegant and deadly, Iroquois ball-headed clubs combined the refinement of form with a fearsome efficiency of function. Carved from a single piece of hardwood, the clubs were extremely well balanced and were designed to inflict a devastating blow to one’s adversary. The wood used for these clubs was carefully selected from the lower curved portion of a branch adjoining the tree, assuring the natural structural strength of the club’s curved form. The dense ball heads, called ojighwa - meaning turnip, were cleverly carved in a manner so that they appeared distinct and separate from the club, while tightly grasped by the handle.
Undoubtedly, the use of ball headed clubs pre-dates European contact and their use as a weapon continued for more than two hundred years during the North American colonial wars. They were produced and wielded by the American Indian peoples of the Northeast and Great Lakes region, including the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy. Remarkably, the club presented here was wielded by an Iroquois warrior against British forces during the decisive Battle of Bushy Run, which took place on August 5th, 1764 in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. Swiss born General Henry Bouquet led a relief column of some five hundred British soldiers to relieve neighboring Fort Pitt. The column was soon ambushed by a large contingent of allied tribes and both sides suffered significant losses. General Bouquet, after a two-day battle, successfully routed the tribes and later relieved the garrison of Fort Pitt. The British victory was a decisive moment as it opened the gateway to western expansion.
While the exceptional ball-headed club presented here exudes a powerful and menacing presence, it is also a sublime work of art. The club’s elegant and deeply arched form and graceful tapered lines are complemented by its smooth polished surface and rich dark patina.
Iroquois Confederacy, Pennsylvania
Length 19 3/4”
17th-18th Century
Provenance: Retrieved by General Henry Bouquet during the decisive Battle of Bushy Run in 1764 - Westmoreland, Pennsylvania. Thence by descent to a Pennsylvania family for approximately 250 years, where it remained as a treasured family heirloom.
Ron Van Anda, Lititz, Pennsylvania.
Art Loss Register certificate provided (ALR S00248449)
Both elegant and deadly, Iroquois ball-headed clubs combined the refinement of form with a fearsome efficiency of function. Carved from a single piece of hardwood, the clubs were extremely well balanced and were designed to inflict a devastating blow to one’s adversary. The wood used for these clubs was carefully selected from the lower curved portion of a branch adjoining the tree, assuring the natural structural strength of the club’s curved form. The dense ball heads, called ojighwa - meaning turnip, were cleverly carved in a manner so that they appeared distinct and separate from the club, while tightly grasped by the handle.
Undoubtedly, the use of ball headed clubs pre-dates European contact and their use as a weapon continued for more than two hundred years during the North American colonial wars. They were produced and wielded by the American Indian peoples of the Northeast and Great Lakes region, including the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy. Remarkably, the club presented here was wielded by an Iroquois warrior against British forces during the decisive Battle of Bushy Run, which took place on August 5th, 1764 in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. Swiss born General Henry Bouquet led a relief column of some five hundred British soldiers to relieve neighboring Fort Pitt. The column was soon ambushed by a large contingent of allied tribes and both sides suffered significant losses. General Bouquet, after a two-day battle, successfully routed the tribes and later relieved the garrison of Fort Pitt. The British victory was a decisive moment as it opened the gateway to western expansion.
While the exceptional ball-headed club presented here exudes a powerful and menacing presence, it is also a sublime work of art. The club’s elegant and deeply arched form and graceful tapered lines are complemented by its smooth polished surface and rich dark patina.