Ogboni Ceremonial Knife With Hieratic Figure – Yoruba, Nigeria, Early 20th Century

Ogboni Ceremonial Knife – Nigeria, Yoruba People, Early 20th Century Bronze with aged patina, symbolic engravings, stylized anthropomorphic figure representing an African woman.

Sculpted with an almost liturgical solemnity, this ceremonial knife embodies the spiritual and judicial power of the Ogboni society, the ancestral custodians of law among the Yoruba people. Its handle, finely modeled in the form of a hieratic figure with crossed arms, evokes the posture of wisdom and ritual silence—essential attributes of the initiated. The broad, curved blade is engraved with geometric patterns and stylized crosses—symbols of cosmic balance and the duality between the visible and the invisible. The metal, weathered by time, reveals an almost organic texture, as if the object had absorbed the prayers and stories of generations past.

Used during secret ceremonies, this knife is not a weapon but a talisman of justice—an emblem of moral authority and the sacred bond between the living and the ancestors. Its presence in a collection reflects a discerning appreciation for African ritual arts and a sensitivity to forms where the spiritual transcends the object.

Weight: 1 kg Dimensions: Height 50 cm, Width 10 cm, Depth 3 cm