Mysterious African "knife"

Duccio · 12th June 2020, 11:19 AM

Hello everyone,
when an online seller of African items offered me this "knife" I found it too funny and decided to buy it for my collection.
Now I'm asking my fellow African blade collectors if they have the slightest idea where this thing came from.
It may also be that he bought an item of no value (it would not be the first time ...).
But I was struck by the fact that a "story" was represented there, as is the case with the recade of Benin, which, moreover, often represent dogs.

I imagine that many of those who are not interested in African objects will make fun of me (even collectors of African objects, probably), but collectors are people who have strange tastes ...

Tim Simmons · 13th June 2020, 09:13 AM

Both African. The wooden piece is a Fon recade. The knife is from the Congo I believe.

Duccio · 13th June 2020, 06:12 PM

Thanks, Tim
that they were both Africans I knew it, and I also knew that the second object is a recade from Benin.
I also imagine that the black knife is Congolese, but the question is: which of the many peoples of that area is attributable?
Do you have any relation with the Konda's prestige knives, even if the latter have completely "abstract" shapes and is this instead "figurative"?

GIO · 14th June 2020, 07:07 PM

Maitre corbeau sur un arbre perché tenait dans son bec un fromage.
Maitre renard par l'odeur allechée ......

Duccio · 14th June 2020, 07:14 PM

Exactement, je crois qu'i s'agit de quelque chose comme ça.

(Exactly, I think this is something like that.)

12th June 2020, 11:19 AM	#1
Duccio Member Join Date: May 2020 Location: Florence, Italy Posts: 64	Mysterious African "knife" Hello everyone, when an online seller of African items offered me this "knife" I found it too funny and decided to buy it for my collection. Now I'm asking my fellow African blade collectors if they have the slightest idea where this thing came from. It may also be that he bought an item of no value (it would not be the first time ...). But I was struck by the fact that a "story" was represented there, as is the case with the recade of Benin, which, moreover, often represent dogs. I imagine that many of those who are not interested in African objects will make fun of me (even collectors of African objects, probably), but collectors are people who have strange tastes ... Attached Images

14th June 2020, 07:07 PM	#4
GIO Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 313	African knife ? Maitre corbeau sur un arbre perché tenait dans son bec un fromage. Maitre renard par l'odeur allechée ......

13th June 2020, 09:13 AM	#2
Tim Simmons Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: What is still UK Posts: 5,807	Both African. The wooden piece is a Fon recade. The knife is from the Congo I believe.

13th June 2020, 06:12 PM	#3
Duccio Member Join Date: May 2020 Location: Florence, Italy Posts: 64	Thanks, Tim that they were both Africans I knew it, and I also knew that the second object is a recade from Benin. I also imagine that the black knife is Congolese, but the question is: which of the many peoples of that area is attributable? Do you have any relation with the Konda's prestige knives, even if the latter have completely "abstract" shapes and is this instead "figurative"?

14th June 2020, 07:14 PM	#5
Duccio Member Join Date: May 2020 Location: Florence, Italy Posts: 64	Exactement, je crois qu'i s'agit de quelque chose comme ça. (Exactly, I think this is something like that.)