Thanks everybody for the input. Nice to know you people find this piece interesting.
Thank you Tim for the hornbill culture and Freddy for the interesting Ahosi postcard and allusion.
However i am glad David came up with the lizard idea; just because i can acomodate better to that
. The hiena and hornbill possibilities would only match (in my mind), providing the artisan had a rather free hand, applying some fantasy to the actual anatomy of such specimens ... a nose too long for the hiena and too large eyebrows (or ears ?) for the hornbill. Of course this a layman's impression; i now nothing, comparing to your people's experienced knowledge.
Concerning the guy's eyes, David, i find it dificult to establish with (my) pictures but, i am convinced that those cavities were originaly meant to be empty. Then again, no absolutes.
But we can say this hilt has a certain artistic touch, can't we ?
If some further coment occurs, Gentlemen, please feel free to post, will you ?
... like another zoomorphic interpretation for the pommel
?
Thanks
Fernando