Outstanding Ancient Fon Axe – Recade – Benin – Rare Item

A perfect ‘Fon rekade’ with old usage patina. No age-related damage. First half of the 20th century or earlier. Cm 44 high (17.32″); the fish cm. 12,5 long (4.92″). Grams 890 (31.39 oz.). Published piece.

A sceptre, also prestige, cult and dance axe of the Fon, called ‘rekade’. Developed from the form of battle axes, these ‘rekades’ serve as ‘coats of arms’ of different Fon clans. They display and emphasise the origin and authority of their owners. For the ‘blade’, the present ‘rekade’ consists of a three-dimensional fish with a wide open mouth, made of yellow cast-alloy (brass) executed with ‘waste mould’ casting. Attached to a long, kinked wooden shaft. The shaft displays two additional ‘eyes’ made of brass sheet metal on top. On the upper third of the backside of the shaft sits an egg-shaped object made of cast brass. This ‘egg’ is perhaps to be interpreted also as a highly abstract ‘head’. The wooden shaft is decorated with tree broad.

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