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Sword and Scabbard
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Iron_007055
Liberia, early 20th century steel, leather, wood 66.67 cm (sword) / 54 cm (scabbord) [2 ft 2.25 in / 1 ft 9.25 in] private collection of Walter Logan Fry |
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Swords are weapons of war and defense. The blade of the sword in the Fry collection is hammered steel, and the scabbard is finely tooled leather over a woven fiber mesh. The handle of the sword is carved from wood, and covered with a fine layer of leather or skin. My brother and sisters used to play with the sword when we were young. For us, they were not just precious objects, they were objects we could incorporate into our normal life activities and play. A sword can be both a prestige item displayed by a tribal chief or person of high status; or an implement for battle, as seen in the following photograph from The British Museum, described as: "Native war boys. Bombari district, Sierra Leone. Frontal full-length portrait of three adult males. Wearing loin-cloths, holding bows and arrows, swords beneath arms." |
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Warriors carrying bows and swords
photographic print in the collection of The British Museum No. Af,B84.20 |
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The National Museum of African Art in Washington, D. C. has a sword and scabbard in its collection that appears to be nearly identical to sword and scabbard in the Fry collection collection. It can be viewed immediately below. |
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Sword and Scabbard
Liberia; Leather, Wood, Fiber; 73.3 cm h x 6.3 cm w x 3.5 cm d (28 7/8 x 2 1/2 x 1 3/8 in.) Gift of Ambassador and Mrs. W. Beverly Carter, Jr. National Museum of African Art, Washington, D. C. Object No. 79-28-70.1 |
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The Stichting Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen in Rotterdam, The Netherlands has two very similar objects, as seen below. |
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Swaard en Schede (Sword and
Scabbord)
Liberia; Leather, Wood, Fiber; 79 cm (2 ft 7 in) Collection of Stichting Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen, Rotterdam, The Netherlands |
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Swaard en Schede (Sword and
Scabbord)
Liberia, before 1916; Leather, Wood, Fiber 75 cm (sword) / 62 cm (scabbord) [2 ft 5.5 in / 2 ft .4 in] Collection of Stichting Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen, Rotterdam, The Netherlands |