OBSIDIAN SPEAR
Admiralty Islands, Papua New Guinea
19th Century
Ex Thomas Barrett collection c. 1930


Spears with an obsidian point served as javelins and thrusting weapons during battle. Often featuring razor-sharp obsidian blades hafted onto wooden detailed shafts, decorated with beads, shells, fibre, and pigment for warfare, ceremony, and trade.



Size:  47 cm (length)  5.5 cm (width)  2.5 cm (depth)


Weight: 568 grams