Object Details
- Label Text
- Today, the Tuareg wear swords and daggers mainly on special occasions and at festivals. They attach daggers, which were once used for hunting, to belts worn at their waists. The handle on this dagger was fashioned by hammering layers of different materials together. The Tuareg originally acquired the blades for their swords and daggers through trade.
- Description
- Arm dagger with well worn triangular shaped blade. At the top of the blade is a silver sheet attachment with engraved motifs. The pommel has two extensions on either side and was made with the sandwich technique in which layers of different metals and wood were interspersed with one another.
- Provenance
- Private European collection, collected Niger or Mali, 1959-1971 to 1993
- Exhibition History
- Inscribing Meaning: Writing and Graphic Systems in African Art, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, May 9- August 26, 2007; Fowler Museum at University of California, Los Angeles, October 14, 2007-February 17, 2008
- The Earth Moves - We Follow: Celebrating African Art, Frank H. McClung Museum, Knoxville, January 10-May 18, 2003
- Art from the Forge, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., September 6, 1995-January 2, 1996
- Published References
- Loughran, Kristyne. 1995. Art from the Forge. Washington D.C.: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, p. 17, no. 10.
- Content Statement
- As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
- Image Requests
- High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
- Data Source
- National Museum of African Art
- Maker
- Tuareg artist
- Date
- Early to mid-20th century
- Credit Line
- Museum purchase and gift of Mrs. Florence Selden in memory of Carl L. Selden
- Medium
- Iron, silver, copper alloy, synthetic resin, plastic
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 51.6 x 11.1 x 2.1 cm (20 5/16 x 4 3/8 x 13/16 in.)
- Type
- Sculpture
