Kwele Mandjong Anchor-Form Currency Blade, Gabon

Central Africa, Gabon, Kwele peoples. A forged blade of anchor form, known as a mandjong, its broad crescent head sweeping down into outswept arms that taper to flattened lanceolate finials. The hammered surface carries the oxidized bloom of hand-smelted metal. Attributed to the Kwele peoples of northern Gabon and the adjacent border country of the Republic of the Congo, blades of this class were never intended for cutting. They functioned instead as stored wealth, circulating in bridewealth payments and in the settlement of disputes, their value measured in the smith's labor and in the scarcity of the metal itself. Presented on a removable custom display stand. Item # 203563

Estimate:£149.5

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