Important Collection of Antique Asian Arms
Lot 194:
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 distinctly larger 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 half straight, or straight in which case they were more practical in combat. Older kris had fewer waves 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. Other forms of blades are straight and even this form can be found on very high quality kris which were not relegated to waved blades. 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. In rare cases European or other blades could be repurposed and re-forged into the Moro blade form. Moro kris can also be identified regionally by the design of the elephant head trunk and cavity of the ganja. Generally Sulu kris have cavities which are elliptical in shape. 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 not angled. 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 this generally 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 is narrow 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 protrusion that juts out from beneath it (Cato 1996).This example in the Schmiedt Collection is a very fine example with a highly uncommon blade of early form with a straight ganja, as opposed to later ganja forms which are welded with anangle at the fretwork to the main part of the blade. The asang-asang appears to be suasa, an indication of quality, while the handle is wrapped in jute. In this blade there appears to be a raised ricasso which may indicate that the blade is a captured and repurposed Spanish blade and forged in the Moro form wit h a ganja. The blade has a long fuller which is known on other Moro blades and is engraved Por Mi Lei Y Por Mi Rei which translates roughly to "For My Law and for My King". The inscription is interesting as it approximates the kind of inscriptions found on Spanish blades of the 18th century on so-called Bilbo swords. However those are spelled with the form "Rey not Rei. An interesting blade and potentially later inscribed by a Spanish or even American soldier on its capture. The overall form based on the cavity and the pommel i s potentially from the Sulu Moros. Dating to the 19th century.Total Length (inside scabbard if present) : 28 1/2" Blade Length : 21 1/2".Shipping is available ONLY within USA, except CA and NJ. No international shipping.References:1. Cato, R. (1996) Moro swords. Graham Brash: Singapore2. Barados, D., (1995) Land of the Morning: Treasures of the Philippines, San Francisco Craft & Folk Museum, 1995.3. Casal, G. et al, (1981) The People and Art of the Philippines, UCLA Museum of Cultural History4. Krieger, H. W. (1926). The collection of primitive weapons and armor of the Philippine 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. The Metropolitan Museum of Art (1996) The Gods of War: Sacred Imagery and the Decoration of Arms and 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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