Chief’s Ceremonial Axe
Pende people, DR Congo, early 20th c.
Carved wood with iron
Ex–Vernon Anderson, Dallas, Texas
18” h x 2” w x 8.5” d (45.72 x 5.08 x 21.59 cm)
Price: $2,400
Carried over the shoulder by chiefs or other important personages, these axes served a purely ceremonial purpose as prestige symbols. Collected in situ by a mid–20th century Presbyterian missionary, this example features a chameleon on the handle. For a very similar examples, see Cornet (1975: 68, fig. 43).
