Glaive/polearms supposedly from Congo

blue lander · 26th October 2014, 09:02 PM

I just won the auction for these two. I assume it's some sort of "knife on a stick" polearm like a glaive or fauchard. Both are about 33cm long, single edged. They sort of look like machete blades welded to a spear socket. The blades look like they could have been made yesterday out of scrap metal, but the sockets look older with better crafstmanship.

It seems most cultures have weapons of this type but I haven't seen any others from Africa. Are these weapons or some sort of farming implement?

Tim Simmons · 27th October 2014, 08:12 AM

Look Asian to me. Lands bordering China?

Sajen · 27th October 2014, 09:27 AM

Agree with Tim, they look like they coming from mainland SEA.

Regards,
Detlef

blue lander · 27th October 2014, 01:48 PM

Hmm. The seller appears to be liquidating somebody else's collection so I'm not surprised he got the origin wrong. Most of his stuff is from Congo or Indonesia. Maybe it's from Indonesia?

Sajen · 27th October 2014, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blue lander

Maybe it's from Indonesia?

Never seen something similar from Indonesia.

Oliver Pinchot · 27th October 2014, 04:50 PM

The faceted sockets usually indicate Chinese workmanship, the crosshatched bands take it to around the first half of the 20th century.

blue lander · 27th October 2014, 08:00 PM

Any idea what it might have looked like on the pole or been used for? If the OAL is only 14 inches then the blade must only be 7 or 8 inches. Seems awfully small.

blue lander · 24th November 2014, 08:23 PM

These suckers arrived today. They're quite sturdy and heavily built. There's still some wood particles in the socket and the edges has some dings on them, so I guess they were actually mounted and used at some point. Nothing else really to report other than some markings on the spine which I've attached a picture of. I'd love to remount them on an appropriate pole if I knew what it was supposed to look like.

buendia · 2nd December 2014, 08:56 PM

It`s definitely not from Congo or any other African country. Doesn`t look European to me either. I would say China or close to it.

26th October 2014, 09:02 PM	#1
blue lander Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 456	Glaive/polearms supposedly from Congo I just won the auction for these two. I assume it's some sort of "knife on a stick" polearm like a glaive or fauchard. Both are about 33cm long, single edged. They sort of look like machete blades welded to a spear socket. The blades look like they could have been made yesterday out of scrap metal, but the sockets look older with better crafstmanship. It seems most cultures have weapons of this type but I haven't seen any others from Africa. Are these weapons or some sort of farming implement? Attached Images

27th October 2014, 08:00 PM	#7
blue lander Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 456	Any idea what it might have looked like on the pole or been used for? If the OAL is only 14 inches then the blade must only be 7 or 8 inches. Seems awfully small. Last edited by blue lander; 27th October 2014 at 09:00 PM.

24th November 2014, 08:23 PM	#8
blue lander Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 456	These suckers arrived today. They're quite sturdy and heavily built. There's still some wood particles in the socket and the edges has some dings on them, so I guess they were actually mounted and used at some point. Nothing else really to report other than some markings on the spine which I've attached a picture of. I'd love to remount them on an appropriate pole if I knew what it was supposed to look like. Attached Images

27th October 2014, 08:12 AM	#2
Tim Simmons Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: What is still UK Posts: 5,824	Look Asian to me. Lands bordering China?

27th October 2014, 09:27 AM	#3
Sajen Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Germany, Dortmund Posts: 9,125	Agree with Tim, they look like they coming from mainland SEA. Regards, Detlef

27th October 2014, 01:48 PM	#4
blue lander Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 456	Hmm. The seller appears to be liquidating somebody else's collection so I'm not surprised he got the origin wrong. Most of his stuff is from Congo or Indonesia. Maybe it's from Indonesia?

27th October 2014, 04:50 PM	#6
Oliver Pinchot Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Posts: 460	The faceted sockets usually indicate Chinese workmanship, the crosshatched bands take it to around the first half of the 20th century.

2nd December 2014, 08:56 PM	#9
buendia Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Silesia, Poland Posts: 41	It`s definitely not from Congo or any other African country. Doesn`t look European to me either. I would say China or close to it.