Deadly Beautiful – Weapons from Central Africa (ISBN 9789050661126)

Description

A sought-after and important standard work on traditional weapons from Central Africa, richly illustrated and compiled on the occasion of the exhibition of the same name in Brussels in 1992-1993. Deadly beautiful. Weapons from Central Africa not only covers the wide variety of African weapons, but also places them in their cultural, social and historical context.

Central African weapons

The publication covers traditional weapons from various cultures in Central Africa, with a particular focus on their form, manufacture and function. Extensive attention is paid to knives, swords, axes, spears and other weapon types, among others.

Besides their practical function as a weapon, many of these objects played an important role as a status symbol, ceremonial object or medium of exchange. The relationship between weapons and social hierarchy, secret societies and traditional power structures is also extensively covered.

Important reference work

With contributions from various specialists, the book covers, amongst other things, early iron production and blacksmithing in Central Africa, weapons and sculpture, warfare, weapons as a medium of exchange, the hierarchy of Kuba weapons and chieftain's knives among the Woyo and Kakongo, and the well-known ngulu execution knives.

Due to the combination of specialist texts, numerous images and an extensive bibliography, the book is considered an important reference work for collectors and dealers in African weapons and tribal art.

Book information

Deadly beautiful. Weapons from Central Africa. With contributions by Joseph-Aurélien Cornet, William J. Dewey, Paul Dubrunfaut, Jan Elsen and other specialists. Gemeentekrediet, Brussels, 1992. Dutch-language edition, softcover, 263 pages, richly illustrated in colour and black and white. Published on the occasion of the exhibition at the Gemeentekrediet Gallery in Brussels, 18 December 1992 to 28 February 1993.

ISBN-13: 9789050661126
ISBN-10: 9050661122

Dimensions & condition

Approx. 30 × 21 cm. Softcover. Good used condition with minor signs of age and wear to the cover and edges. The interior is clean and well-kept. See the photos for a good impression of the condition.

Product photographs show the object on offer exactly as photographed. Any interior images are AI-generated impressions, included solely to illustrate scale and presentation.