Zemanek-Münster

Ceremonial sword

Nigeria, Yoruba
not available anymore
Provenance
Frederick & Claire Mebel, New York City, USA
Size
H: 62 cm
H: 24.4 inch

Description

iron blade, brass-casted grip, depicting a man in full military outfit, smoking a pipe, min. dam., traces of corrosion, small missing parts, base;
probably a so-called “ada ogun” or “sword of ogun”, Lord over iron and weapons, the patron of all Yoruba iron-workers. Kept by the master of the local guild of smiths, it served as an emblem of the craft group.


Comparing literature

Krieger, Kurt, Westafrikanische Plastik, Bd. II, Berlin 1969, ill. 167

Publications

African Metal Implements, Weapons, Tools and Regalia, Collection of Frederick and Claire Mebel, New York 1984, ill. 34

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