Inauthentic Crownless Throwing Knife
In the style of the Banda, Central African Republic / D.R. Congo
Iron, snake skin, vegetal fiber
Provenance dates to the 1990s

I am always looking for examples of this type – the crownless Banda – as it’s one of the most unusual and striking traditional African knife designs. When I was offered this piece, my first instinct was to decline. The angle of the wing wasn’t as sharp as it should be, the handle seemed to be excessively flashy, and the incised designs on the spur seemed off. However, its provenance from a renowned collector ultimately allayed my suspicions.

Upon handling and examining the piece in person, its inauthenticity was unmistakable. My first three suspicions proved to be correct: the angle at which the wing meets the stem is indeed too obtuse, the handle material (crocodile skin) is inappropriate for a throwing knife of this type, and the incising on the spur is incorrect.

There are a number of additional problems. First, the metal is wrong. It is far heavier than the iron used by the Banda, rendering the blade unbalanced and unfit for throwing. More importantly, the iron shows no signs of forging, of being drawn out, or hammering. Instead it was likely cut from sheet steel.

There is more proof that this piece wasn’t forged in the traditional way. Perpendicular edges, sharp and precise chamfers, and mathematical bevels demonstrate that the piece was cut and machined. Indeed, the surface shows signs of machine scarring on both sides.

There is pitting on the blade, which should be present on an older example. However, under strong magnification, acid scars are clearly visible around the pitting, proving that the pitting was artificially induced. Overall, the pitting is unusually uniform and there are many more areas of distressed metal than should be present, which also demonstrates that a chemical treatment was applied.

In addition to the incision design on the spur being incorrect, there are other problems with the incisions. First, they are too thick – authentic Banda knives were incised with a fine tool that produced thinner incisions. Analyzing the incising under strong magnification shows that they were made using a heated probe that melted the iron – the fissures in the metal that resulted are still visible. While there were different ways in which these blades were originally incised, in general they were made with a metal tool and applied pressure. The incisions here are strikingly different – they seem etched into the iron.

This is an excellent example of an obviously inauthentic African knife whose inauthenticity is shielded and disguised by strong provenance. It is important to note that the misleading provenance is the result of the previous collector being fooled by the piece; otherwise, the provenance is accurate. 

16.5 in :: 42 cm

InventoryID #13-1079

Not For Sale