Asymmetric knife "epalang" - Mbuun/Yanzi - DR Congo

• Asymmetric discoid knife “épalang”

• Ethnicities: Mbuun / Yanzi / Ngul / Hungaan

• Democratic Republic of the Congo

• Dimensions: 29 × 16 cm

• Period: End of the 19th century – very early 20th century

• Weight: 277 g

• Provenance: former Michel Maes collection, Maastricht, Netherlands (real estate developer and owner of Van Ooys Castle in Maastricht); Hessink's Auction House, Maastricht.

• Condition: Excellent for an épalang from this period. Just a slight chip visible at the end of the handle.

— Description and ethnographic context:

The épalang is distinguished by its singular design: an asymmetric discoid blade, often with wavy and exaggerated shapes, features of the finest known examples. Available research — still limited — indicates these were prestige objects used in ceremonies or by healers.

Asymmetric discoid knives of the épalang type have been collected among the Dzing, Hungaan, Lwer, Mbuun, Ngul, Pindi and Yanzi (Elsen, De fer et de fierté, 2003).

— Characteristics of this specimen:

This knife is very well balanced and has a comfortable weight for its 29 cm length. The through-blood (full tang) protrudes at the end of the handle, where the wood is not covered by copper wire or iron plates, allowing examination of the wood and its antiquity. The tang protrudes from the handle with a very strong corrosion, which is normal since one does not clean a metal piece embedded in wood with anti-corrosion products for fear of damaging the wood.

— The last four photographs confirm the identity of our knife as “Yanzi/Ngul” by locating an identical épalang preserved in the British Museum, which was collected in the Congo in 1907 by Hungarian anthropologist Emil Torday.
Between 1907 and 1909, Torday led a large mission in the Congo Basin for the British Museum, gathering over 3,000 objects, including many masterpieces of the Kuba kingdom.
We find this same knife collected by Torday in the book “Georges Grenfell and the Congo” by English author Sir Harry Hamilton Johnston, published in 1908 by Hutchinson & co. It notes a provenance “Bayanzi” and “Ngul,” which at the time was already relevant.

This British Museum exemplar presents the same blade shape, with a slightly “cut” tip, forged as is. The same handle type, covered with hammered iron plates, with yellow and red copper wires, plus another hammered iron plate and a groove extending the length of the handle, perfectly similar to the museum knife.

— Sold with the invoice from Hessink’s Auction House.

— Careful, insured delivery, with tracking number (Bpost).