Important Collection of Antique Asian Arms
Lot 181:
A distinctive Bornean sword of the Iban Dayak, called a mandau, these swords arefound throughout institutional and private collections in varying degrees of quality. They aredistinguished by a set of similar features, all varying in the level of quality of the constructions, materials, and workmanship. The mandau blade has a convex shape on one side and somewhatconcave on the other. The blades are often made of tempered metal and in some cases maydisplay a lamellar pattern, similar to the pamor found on Indonesian keris blades, though this ishighly uncommon. The hilts are often delicately and depict creatures or anthropomorphic deities.This example in the Schmiedt Collection has a well carved hilt with the leech pattern in the hiltcalled (lemetek) and which is associated with blood sucking and was considered an appropriatemotif for a weapon. The blade is an especially interesting example with a wavy ricasso which isuncommon to find on Mandau swords and is reflective of an idiosyncratic style influenced byIndonesia kris. The blade tip is most closely related to the style called li-po-tong based onresearch from 1888 from the Dutch resident in Koetei, where the Kayan tribe made mandaus ofthis form and style (Tromp 1888).The hilt of this example has a fine patina indicative of age, and also a distinct hilt form with asmall projection at the pommel, seen as fig. I in the image below from Tromp (1888). This typeof hilt likely an earlier form without the over complex carving found on early 20th century andlater examples.Dating to the late 19th â€â€œ early 20th century.Total Length (inside scabbard if present) : 28 3/4" Blade Length : 23"References:1. Van Zonneveld, A.G. (2002). Traditional Weapons of the Indonesian Archipelago.Koninklyk Instituut Voor Taal Land2. Heppell, M., et al, (2005) Iban Art: Sexual Selection and Severed Heads, C.Zwartenkot/Kit Publishers3. Sellato, B. (ed.), Plaited Arts from the Borneo Rainforest, NIAS Press, 20124. Fischer, H.W. (1909) Katalog des ethnographischen Reichsmuseums- Die Inselnringsum Sumatra, (vol. 4, Leiden)5. Tromp, S.W. (1888) Medeelingen Omtrent Mandaus. Internationales Archiv fÃÆ’¼rEthnographie. Band 1. Pp.22-266. Shelford, R. (1901) A provisional classification of the swords of the Sarawak tribes.Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. Vol. 31.Detailed condition reports are not included in this catalog. For additional information, including condition reports, please contact us at [email protected]
Share this lot:
