Chieftain's knife
Click here to view a larger version of the imageLot: 422
87th Tribal Art AuctionChieftain's knife
D. R. Congo, Lobala
Provenance | Size | Starting price / estimated price |
---|---|---|
H: 22 inch | This object is not available anymore. |
metal, engravings on both sides of the blade, wooden handle wrapped with brass straps, slight traces of corrosion, base.
Based on elaborate engravings on the blade and the abundant windings on the handle it can be said that the knife was definitely not used as a weapon despite its shapened cutting edge but rather as a chieftain's insignia or a symbol of rank.
Fischer, Werner & Manfred A. Zirngibl, Afrikanische Waffen, Passau 1978, p. 115, ill. 201