Axe · D. R. Congo, Luba/Shankadi · ID: 3034859
not available anymore
Provenance
Edouard d’Orjo de Marchovelette, Brussels, Belgium (1901 - 1985), territorial administrator, who served from 1925 till 1952 in the Belgian Congo. He collected mainly Luba and Lega objects.Didier Claes, Brussels, Belgium
Size
H: 40 cm
H: 15.7 inch
Description
wood, slightly shiny brown patina, metal, crowned by a human head with cascade-like coiffure, the mortised blade growing out of its mouth, min. dam., small missing part (coiffure), fine cracks, metal socle;
aside their role as prestige emblems, axes carry more profound messages in Luba royal ritual. Above all they play a central role in the initiation rites of “mbudye”, an association responsible for inducting persons into royal office.The axe is the instrument used to clear the path.
Comparing literature
Fischer, Werner, Zirngibl, Manfred A., Afrikanische Waffen, Passau 1978, p. 137, ill. 247