Asymmetric Prestige Blade
Fur, Sudan (Darfur)
Iron, monitor, vegetal fiber, leather
1880 - 1899

This blade type is a perfect example of the Sudanese aesthetic, because it is completely distinctive from any weapon from any other culture or time period in world history.

Westerdijk describes this style as being one that was "obviously never intended to serve any utilitarian purpose as weapons or tools," and is best described as "nonpractical. Where fantasy and impracticality seem to have taken over from utility."

There are numerous hypotheses about the purpose of these blades, such as for ceremony (Westerdijk claims "their function must be sought to lie in the ceremonial field"), or possibly for sale as the earliest souvenir types, but regrettably, historical information is extremely scarce. 

Most specimens of this type were obtained in either Egypt or the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, chiefly during the last two decades of the 19th century (Westerdijk, The African Throwing Knife, 1988).

A closely-related example can be found in the collection of the British Museum, #Af1954,+23.973. 

Another comparable example can be found in the American Museum of Natural History, #90.2 / 6427. Regrettably, their database has been inacceesible for years, but an old screenshot can be seen here.

Published: Lefebvre, Luc. The Throwing Knives: The Northern Knives. 2019. Plate 143.

18 in :: 46 cm

InventoryID #13-3010

Price on Request