Congo, early 20th Century

Condition: Age-related oxidation and wear to the metal and the handle, chips to the handle, the end of the sword blade chipped

Often referred to as executioner’s swords, nineteenth century European engravings and drawings show how the victim would be tied and the sword used to decapitate him. While this once may have been the case, it is now generally accepted that these are ceremonial swords used by the Bantu peoples of the Congo Basin, including the Ngombe and the Ngala peoples, the ownership of which would symbolise prestige.

Other examples are in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, (accession no. 2006.2051) and the Extra-European Collections at the Sforza Castle, Milan (item 385).