Kilonda (ceremonial axe)
Dateearly 1900s
Mediumiron, copper, and wood
Dimensions42 × 23 cm (16 9/16 × 9 1/16 in.), 1 lb, 10 oz (weight)
ClassificationsArms and Armor
Credit LineThe John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection
Object number2014.94
DescriptionSingle edge crescentic blade with punched dots along both edges of inner curve of blade. Short pointed projection on lower edge of blade. 3 steel arms extend from same point on handle to support blade. Lower arm quadrangular in section, central with a human face in relief on each side (this face is forge-welded onto the arm), upper arm formed from 2 circular section rods tightly twisted together. Copper-clad wooden handle flattened at bottom & expanding at top to flattened oval.Label TextThis axe is a prestige object for ceremonial use. The complex shaping of the blade is a tour-de-force of the metalsmith’s craft, and the copper sheathing of the haft was an expensive statement of social status.ProvenancePurchased by Museum from Irving N. Donnin (Miami, FL) on April 19, 1956. Collection transfer from Higgins Armory, January 2014.
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