Long Dagger with Elaborate Handle
Fur, Darfur Region, Sudan
Iron, horn
19th century
With its large horn handle, this distinct style can be found almost exclusively in old museum collections, books, and auctions. Most examples were collected in the second half of the 19th century. A closely related example in the Quai Branly collection was acquired in 1883 (71.1883.67.37.1-2).
This knife comes from the territory of the former state of Darfur, one of the many Sultanates of 19th century Sudan, an area rich in iron ore. The Fur, who number 200,000, are the main culture in Darfur (Darfur simply means ‘land of the Fur’). The use of daggers in this region was very prominent (Westerdijk, The African Throwing Knife, 1988).
18 in :: 46 cm
InventoryID #13-2098
SOLD
