Sword of Honor, Mbele a Lulendo
Kongo, D.R. Congo
Iron, wood, lead, copper
18th century
Potrugese adventurers first visited Kongo kingdoms in the late 15th century, and soon thereafter a synthesis of Kongo and European royal aesthetics was realized in locally forged “swords of honor” (mbeele a lulèndo, pl., also known as “swords of authority”). Based upon arms borne by Portuguese, these magnificent blades memorialized the conversion of the kingdom to Christianity.
Mbeele a lulèndo were of signal importance to politics but were not used for actual fighting. The crossguards materialized symbolic gestures: the upward arm “hailed the law” of the living, and the downward arm “cooled the community” through deference to the ancestors (Dewey & Roberts. “Of Blacksmiths and Kings: A Central Bantu World,” Striking Iron, 2019; Thompson, The Four Moments of the Sun: Kongo Art in Two Worlds, 1981).
The downward-pointing arm was restored.
37 in :: 94 cm
InventoryID #13-2594
Price on Request
