San Cristobel Solomon Islands Club Shield

 A rare and good quality Solomons Islands Club Shield stone carved from heavy darkwood. This example has a lovely patina and displays usage, which adds rather than detracts from the piece. The large flared curved blade with a central rib which ends with a W motif, sometimes suggested to represent the frigate bird, but otherwise an unexplained symbol. The shaft has a fissure towards the end which is very old and appears to have been there always, structurally this is totally sound and is cosmetic only. The base of the shaft is shaped with a finial, on which there are carved a museum collection accession number.