Club (Knobkerrie)
Unknown Artist
1800s–1900s
Medium
Wood
Dimensions
h. 66 cm
Classification
Arms and Armor
Department
African Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
Accession Number
2010.203
About this artwork
Relatively short sticks historically used for hunting and fighting are customarily called knobkerries. A combination of Afrikaans and Shona words, the name refers to the characteristic spherical knob of wood (knop) or head atop a cylindrical shaft (kirri). The knobs on these were carved into a tight whorl and a compressed sphere with a central rib. Even though their basic shapes were derived from real weapons, many of these precious objects were rarely if ever used as such. Highly personal, they...