A rebenque, an Argentinian whip carried by gauchos. These heavy whips serve both as a whip for horses and cattle and as a club or weapon. They are worn hung from the gaucho's belt.
In this example there is a ring shaped silver handle with twisted decoration.
It is stamped "900" (the quality of the silver) and "J.Gallo". José Gallo was a silversmith born in Italy in 1861, he moved to Buenos Aires in Argentina and worked there until 1925. He died in 1934.
The ring is attached to the whip with very finely braided rawhide and the shaft of the whip is covered in plain rawhide. It has a loop which would attach the rebenque to the belt. It has a strap-like lash with stitched decoration
Dimensions : Total Length : 32" (81.5cm), Circumference of handle 2¾" (7cm), Width of ring 2¼" (6cm)
