Giant Vanuatu Club from Cann Collection

A superb large Vanuatu club, 19th century, Malekula Island;…
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A superb large Vanuatu club, 19th century, Malekula Island; this very old club was made for a large warrior, it is a third bigger than other examples of this type of club, it is made from a heavy hard wood and has a fine old reddish brown patina. Provenance: George Cann collection (1890s-1965); Cann was known as the snake man of La Perouse, entertaining crowds when he worked at La Perouse from 1920 until the 1960s. He was a legendary collector of snakes from areas around Australia and the Pacific Islands, in his yard, he created large pits that were used to house his snake collection. He was the curator of reptiles at the Taronga Park Zoo for 20 years, and died of a stroke in 1965. 139 cm

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  • Patination / Patina - In broad terms, patination refers to the exterior surface appearance of the timber, the effect of fading caused by exposure to sunlight and air over the course of a century or more, changing the piece to a soft, mellow colour.

    As patina is very difficult to replicate, it is one of the most important guides to determining the age of furniture.

    Patina is also the term applied to the bloom or film found on old bronzes due to oxidisation.

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