short sword - Lokele/Topoke - DR Congo

Short Lokele/Topoke sword
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Height: 43 cm
Width: 9 cm
Provenance: Karl Stålgärde (Sweden), Gallery Karlsson & Wickman (Sweden), Belgian collection
Materials: Wrought iron (very heavy), wood

This knife, with its superb engravings, should be regarded more as currency than as a weapon. Indeed, in the 19th century, the large quantity of metal (iron) contained in the "pommel" of this knife was still used for exchanges between ethnic groups in the former Orientale Province of the Belgian Congo (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo).
The substantial iron in its pommel has given rise to many tales, especially about those famous knives that were said to be thrown from the top of a tree to strike an enemy. Nothing could be further from the truth, of course.

This piece was collected between 1900 and 1910 by a Swedish man named Karl Stålgärde (second-to-last photograph), who joined the public forces of the former Belgian Congo and took this splendid memento with him to pass down to his family. The last photograph shows the "diploma" of his crossing of the Equator, which was a "rite of passage" for people visiting Africa for the first time.

A very heavy knife and, understandably, unbalanced, serving mainly as a unit of exchange throughout the Upper Congo in the 19th century.
A superb collectible piece.

Sold with the gallery Karlsson & Wickman’s certificate of authenticity.

Delivery insured (Bpost)

Our gallery accepts returns if the buyer can prove that the purchased artwork is a forgery.