Important Collection of Antique Asian Arms
Lot 193:
This is a classic sword of the Moro people of the southern Philippines and of the Sulu Sea area called a kris. The classic Moro kris is based heavily on the Indonesian keris but is distinctlylarger and made purposefully for fighting. The kris has always been the most famous of all Moro weapons and there are a wide set of variation of blade types, handle forms, and materials.Generally all kris blades are wide at the base, double-edged, and can be waved, half-waved halfstraight, or straight in which case they were more practical in combat. Older kris had fewerwaves and the waves were deeper and wider. Over time the waves became shallower, tighter, and more numerous and therefore required greater skill to prevent the blade bouncing off or being stuck in an enemys body. The higher number of waves meant the more potent the kris was in talismanic power such as this example. Sometimes engravings (often filled in with brass or silver inlay) are found on the blade in okir motifs (vines, foliage, etc.), Arabic script, or other esoteric motifs such as this example in the Schmiedt Collection.One of the additional ways in which origins are identified are through the design of the elephant head trunk and cavity of the ganja. Generally Sulu kris have cavities which are elliptical inshape. The mouth cavity and lower jaw point downwards towards the base of the guard. Certain Mindanao kris have a similar form except that the mouth is round instead of oval and is notangled. The Maguindanao form is very similar to the Sulu style with an elliptical shape but it is not angled downwards and instead runs perpendicular to the guard. Later versions of thisgenerally exhibit a ridge which has been chiseled into the outer metal that surrounds both sides of the mouth hollow. The Maranao form has an elongated trunk while the mouth cavity isnarrow and the lower jaw runs parallel to the guard. While Sulu and Maguindanao forms have a concave cavity beneath the lower jaw, the Maranao form does not and instead has a protrusionthat juts out from beneath it (Cato 1996).This example in the Schmiedt Collection is a very fine example with a highly uncommon carved wood jungayyan pommel, and featuring an engraved blade. The grip with silver okir chasedbands and plaited gilded silver interspersed between the bands. The 13 luk blade is a good fighting example and is chased with talismanic designs and inlaid script. The primary scripts in the Moro regions up until and during the Spanish conquest was Jawi, Kawi, or Arabic which are not pictographic and another major script was Eskaya. Moro blades with talismanicdesigns are not unknown. Often the blades would have Islamic or traditional talismanic imagery and surrounding those would be numerous groupings of letters and numbers. These are notintended to be read, but were probably chosen in accordance with formulas derived from an Arabic book of talismans. Belonging to the gray area between magic, folk beliefs, and religion, talismans were published in Arabic books as early as the fourteenth century and are still used in some parts of the Islamic world today. Each letter and number in such a system has a mystical significance. Arranged in specific combinations, sometimes in conjunction with Qur’anic passages and other pious phrases, talismans are believed to ward off various dangers. Moroblades are known to be inlaid, most often in silver, with various talismanic designs in some cases reflecting the arms of the Prophet Muhammad, including a well-known barong in theMetropolitan Museum of Art collection (LaRocca 1996).Dating to the 19th century.Total Length (inside scabbard if present) : 29 1/2" Blade Length : 22 3/4"References:1. Cato, R. (1996) Moro swords. Graham Brash: Singapore2. Barados, D., (1995) Land of the Morning: Treasures of the Philippines, San FranciscoCraft & Folk Museum, 1995.3. Casal, G. et al, (1981) The People and Art of the Philippines, UCLA Museum ofCultural History4. Krieger, H. W. (1926). The collection of primitive weapons and armor of thePhilippine islands in the United States National museum. Washington: Govt. Print.Off.5. Macao Museum of Art. (2007). History of Steel in East Asia. Macao Museum of Art.Macau6. Wetzler, S. (2020) Steel and Magic. Edged Weapons of the Malay Archipelago.Edition Fichter, Frankfurt am Main7. LaRocca, D. (1996) The Gods of War: Sacred Imagery and the Decoration of Armsand Armor. Metropolitan Museum of Art.Detailed condition reports are not included in this catalog. For additional information, including condition reports, please contact us at [email protected]
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