Sword with scabbard Afar, Ethiopia Ohne Sockel... Lot 37

Sword with scabbard Afar, Ethiopia Ohne Sockel / without base Iron, bronze, wood, leather. L 67 cm. Provenance: - Heinz-Werner Fusbahn (1905-1958, Stuttgart/Basel) and Margaret Fusbahn-Billwiller (1907-2001, St. Gallen/Sintra). - Heirs of Heinz-Werner Fusbahn. - Gallery Walu, Basel. Ceremonial weapons are characterized by careful manufacture and decorative design, e.g. the ornamentation with valuable materials such as copper, bronze, ivory or fur. The original function is thus limited, so that a use as a fighting weapon is no longer in the foreground. Rather, they signalized the social status and power of the wearer and were thus rather cult, pomp, dignity and status weapons that were also used in barter trade. Further reading: Ethan Rider (2021). 100 African Blades from 55 Collections. San Francisco: J. M. Fogel Media. ----------------------------------------------------- Margaret Fusbahn and Heinz-Werner Fusbahn "... Margaret Fusbahn was born Rosa Margaretha Billwiller on July 14, 1907 in St.Gallen and grew up in a wealthy merchant family on the Rosenberg . At the age of 20 she marries the German engineer Heinz-Werner Fusbahn. Margaret is one of a handful of female aviation pioneers who set out to conquer the skies in the interwar years. Margaret Fusbahn became known worldwide when she succeeded in breaking the international altitude record for light aircraft in Class C in April 1930. .... She takes part in numerous flying competitions. Her husband Heinz-Werner is infected by her passion for flying and also obtains his brevet. They become known as the "flying couple". In 1932 they fly to Ethiopia for the first time. After that, Heinz-Werner flies to Africa every year - without his wife. In 1938, Margaret Fusbahn divorces..." Excerpt from "Pioneering women: "The flight is worth the life" by Christina Genova, published on 24.10.2017, available on tagblatt.ch. CHF 100 / 200 EUR 91 / 182