Museum pictures
 

Hi all, I was able "to steal" some pics at the most important ethnographic museum here in Italy the Museo Nazionale Preistorico ed Etnografico "Luigi Pigorini" in Rome. They have an excellent exposition on Africa (and also one on Oceania, one on the Meso and South America and one on the Prehistory of Italy) and a very big section dedicated to african arms and armours. So here you can see some very wonderful pieces. Enjoy :)

First Congo (here are only a very small example of the many spears, swords, daggers, knives, shields and more, that you will see if ever will go to the museum)

Marocco - Somalia - Eritrea - Sudan - Etiopia - Kenia

P.S. Sorry some pics are not so sharp :p

And more...

What was sword 7 listed as? Was it Maasai or Kikuyu.

Thanks

Masai

Flavio

Great photos :D and to think that the museum's examples are almost as good as yours and mine are ;) :rolleyes:

Lew

Yes Lew, that's true, but really they have some astonishing pieces , especially among the weapons of the Horn of Africa. Take a look at the shotel in these pictures that shows a scabbard covered with silver. Never seen one before!

Flavio I was only kidding they do have some extraordinary pieces. Love that shotel.

Lew

Flavio,

1001 thanks for these superb pics. All the pieces are very nice, but the Ethiopian pieces in particular strike me as spectacular.

I am curious, as well, if the museum publishes a catalog of its stock???

Thanks again!

Hello Charles

Unfortunatly no, there is no catalog :(

Flavio, have you ever been to the Armeria Reale in Torino? It is housed in a wing of the Royal Palace, and has a fabulous collection as well. I remember visiting it as a youngster, long before I embarked on collecting. My recollection is of case after case of beautiful swords, armor, etc., etc.

Hello Mark, no, I have never been to the Armeria Reale (and think that my mom is Piemontese :p ) so next time that I will go to my uncle I will take a chance to go and see their collections. Thank you :)

Ciao Flavio and Hi everyone. I just stopped drooling over the Ethiopian swords and shield from the Pigorini collection. I HAVE to go to Rome now!! But, seriously, the short shotel with silver scabbard.... What a fantastic piece. I have never seen one. However, there is one in Stone (I'll have to find it. I think it is "lost" in a large picture of African swords, but it's there). Then there are two in two different drawings by different artists in two different books.... They look identical in design, so I think that they were both inspired by the same photograph. In any case, here they are. The first is a Chief on horseback: Queen Victoria's Enemies (2) Northern Africa - Osprey Men-at-Arms Series #215. The second one is from Italian Colonial Wars 1885/1900 - De Bello Series #7. Both of these are GREAT, and I mean GREAT, reference books with fantastic photographs and drawings. So, those fancy swords must be out there.... Artzi, PLEASE, find me one....

Ciao Roano, well when you will come here I'm :) . What do you think about the very large shotel suspended near the wonderful velvet covered shield? That's another of the most interesting piece!

EDIT:

Hello Roano, I was able to take a look at Stone and the sword is more a gilè: it's only circa 18 inch from hilt to point. I also have this old illustration (from The Illustrated London News, June 21, 1884). There are two shotel-gilè one of wich shows a very similar decoration of the scabbard in comparison with the example of the Pigorini, but this one (I mean the one in the museum) it's a "real" sword (long a meter or more).

I highly recommend it. It's right downtown on Piazza Castello.

Thank you Mark, I will go!! :)

Thanks for the pics Flavio.
Unfortunately no catalog...
Luc