Sword handle (bird and snake)

CultureAkan peoples
Titles
  • Sword handle (bird and snake)
Date1850–1900
PlaceGhana/ivory Coast, Africa
MediumWood, gold leaf
Dimensions11 inches high
Credit LineGift of Alfred C. Glassell, Jr.
Object number97.1392
Current Location
The Caroline Wiess Law Building
201M Blaffer Gallery
On view

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Description

The handles of ceremonial swords are often elaborately carved into figurative sculpture and covered with gold leaf. They relay proverbs and convey moral lessons. For example, this gold-leafed sword handle, which depicts a hornbill and a viper, tells the story of a bird that owed a debt to a snake. When the bird would not pay, the snake waited at the watering hole until the thirsty bird appeared and then captured it, a lesson about the power of patience.


 Central to Akan rituals, swords are carried in processions for festivals and ceremonial events. Their most important function is in the oath-of-office ceremony for a chief, when the ruler-elect holds the sword while taking the oath. Subchiefs hold other swords while affirming their loyalty. Swords are also used in rituals purifying the chief's soul and are carried by official messengers and envoys. This function was the first recorded by Europeans. Considered empowered by divinity, swords serve to protect shrines and bear witness to the chief's power.


 


ProvenanceAlfred C. Glassell, Jr. (1913–2008), Houston, before 1997; given to MFAH, 1997.
Exhibition HistoryExhibited: "The Private Eye: Selected Works from Collections of Friends of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston" from June 10, 1989 through August 13, 1989 at the MFAH.

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