245 - Set of three daggers. North Africa, 19th century.

Set of three daggers. North Africa, 19th century. Wood, brass, and steel. They show signs of wear, missing parts, and alterations consistent with their use and age. Measurements: approx. 44 cm in length. Provenance: Estate of Ramon Martí Alsina and Ricard Martí Aguiló. Artistic and heritage collection originating in the legacy of Catalan painters Ramon Martí Alsina (1826–1894), a seminal figure of 19th-century Catalan Realism, and his son Ricard Martí Aguiló (1857–1935). Passed down and enriched across successive generations, the collection brings together works from the original holdings of both artists alongside acquisitions made by their descendants. Dedicated to preserving and recovering the family legacy, the descendants actively reacquired works by the painters as they entered the market, progressively expanding the collection to encompass paintings, sculptures, archaeological artifacts, and other items of artistic and historical significance. A set of three daggers representative of the 19th-century North African tradition of bladed weapons. Their curved profiles, wooden hilts, and the use of brass in the fittings and sheaths link them particularly to types developed in Morocco, similar to the jambiya. Moroccan examples preserved at the Metropolitan Museum, dating from the 18th and 19th centuries, similarly combine steel, wood, and brass and have comparable dimensions and configurations. The pieces display artisanal craftsmanship, with incised and dotted decoration on some of the metal elements and rings intended for suspension.