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1884.24.12

Sword with concave cutting edge and perforated blade, with ivory handle.

1884.24.12

Digital asset copyright: Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford

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Collection type
Object
Description
Sword with concave cutting edge and perforated blade, with ivory handle.
Long description
Sword with concave cutting edge and perforated blade, with ivory handle. The blade is single edged with an expanding blade. The spine curves towards the tip, which is square ended and blunted. The blade has eight holes through it and is decorated on one side with incised curves, lines and chevrons. One section of the spine has a wavy edge. The ivory handle has a brass ferrule decorated with an incised pattern.
Geographical reference
Nigeria
Africa > Western Africa > Nigeria
Date / Period
Date made: Possibly before 1874
Date collected
?By 1874
Acquisition information
Donated: 1884
Materials and processes
Material Iron Metal, Material Animal Ivory Tooth, Material Copper Alloy Metal, Process Forged (Metal), Process Perforated, Process Carved, Process Incised, Process Grooved, Process Decorated
Dimensions
Length: max 608 mm, Width: max 82 mm
Object numbers
Accession number: 1884.24.12 PR Cat other PR nos: 1106
Research and responses

This object was researched by Dr Jane Webster between October-December 2023 as part of her Visiting Research Fellowship at Magdalen College, University of Oxford. Dr Webster was exploring objects in the Pitt Rivers Museum collection which relate to the Transatlantic slave trade. One of the most important was this ivory-handled ceremonial sword from Old Calabar (Nigeria) collected by slave ship captain James Irving, who made seven slave-trading voyages to Nigeria in the 1780s. He probably acquired this weapon from one of his African trading partners. See RDF for a copy of Dr Webster's article written for the PRM Members' Magazine in which she discusses her research.

Associated publications
Reference: Finding the Forgotten: Locating Transatlantic Slavery in The Pitt Rivers Museum Collection, Main author: Jane Webster, 2025, Page: 115-117, Page illustrated: 116, Catalogue number: Figure 4

Search terms: Weapon, Tool, Sword, Knife

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