Inauthentic Dagger
In the style of the Luba, D.R. Congo
Iron, wood
Provenance does not predate 2000

Between 2000 and 2019, there were four Luba daggers of this type that sold at auction for an average price of $14,625. With numbers like that, there was clearly a great incentive to manufacture replicas.

The example seen here has a very attractive handle. It is well carved with elegant curves and contrasting tones. However, the most important part (for a genuine Luba knife) is the face, and here, instead of being sculpted beautifully with the most careful attention to detail, it is clunky and careless (red flag #1).

On top of that, the area where the blade enters the handle is highly suspect: the fit is very loose, with an uncharacteristically large hole being present in the wood (red flag #2), and there is adhesive present on the areas where the iron blade meets the handle (red flag #3). The flat underside of the handle shows tool / machine marks (red flag #4), and both the handle and blade show damage at the spot where they were married (red flag #5). The handle itself shows an incredibly even patina, demonstrating no history of use or handling (red flag #6).

The iron blade, however, is authentic. It is a beautiful old incised blade that fits the Luba aesthetic perfectly. This piece is an excellent example of adding a new handle to an old blade to follow trending sales. The iron does not extend through the wood handle.

11 in :: 28 cm

InventoryID #13-1659

Not For Sale