Mabo-Ngbaka knife; Democratic Republic of the Congo, Africa, early 20th century.

Mabo-Ngbaka knife; Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa, early 20th century.
Iron and copper hilt.
Presents good state of preservation.
Shows numbering (1281) on the handle.
Provenance: old Belgian collection.
Measurements: 34 cm.
Collected for a long time by explorers and soldiers as trophies or objects of curiosity, the African weapons are, in addition to their initial use as combat tools, true works of art that had to impress the adversary, either by their brightness or by their form. They have also been used for other purposes, such as coins, parades, initiation and symbols of power.
The Ngbaka are groups settled between the Oubangui River and the middle of the Congo River, in the northwest of the Democratic Republic of Congo.