A Yoruba Ceremonial Sword, "ada ogun" Lot n° 18

Ceremonial sword, "ada ogun Yoruba, Nigeria ohne Sockel / without base Yellow cast iron. L 59 cm. Provenance: Helmut (1931-2021) and Marianne Zimmer, Zurich. Ceremonial weapons are characterized by careful manufacture and decorative design, e.g. the decoration 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 signal the social status and power of the wearer and are thus rather cult, pomp, dignity and status weapons that were also used in barter. On ceremonial occasions, the highest Yoruba smiths carry iron swords, hooks, and staffs decorated with copper alloy figures and ornaments. Although they are called ada Ogun, they refer more to the social status of the dignitary than to the Ogun cult. The hilt of the copper alloy forged ceremonial sword is adorned with a human face with the sharply drawn lines in the style of the workshops in Abeokuta. Such swords are placed in the shrines as weapons for the gods. Further reading: Drewal, Henri John / Pemberton, John III / Abiodun, Rowland (1989). Yoruba. Nine Centuries of African Art and Thought. New York: The Center for African Art in association with Harry N. Abrams Inc, Publishers, New York. CHF 100 / 200