Dagger in Scabbard
Mabendi, Northeastern D.R. Congo
Iron, wood, monitor
19th century

Within the region spanning northeastern D.R. Congo and western Uganda are a number of blades that are simultaneously functional, symbolic, and personal; these blades also tend to be quite small. This blade embodies all of those characteristics, but is of unusually large size for the region. Although it is a historically well-documented type, surviving examples are exceedingly few in number, and whatever symbolic meaning they once held could now be lost.  

Provenance: Jacques van Overstraeten, Belgium

20.25 in 51.5 cm

InventoryID #13-2745

SOLD