Important Collection of Antique Asian Arms
Lot 68:
This is a classic sword of the Moro people of the southern Philippines and of the Sulu Sea area called a kampilan. The basic form of the sword is considered to have been borrowed from Malay prototypes and similar swords from Timor and Borneo are found in Dutch institutional collections, though with slightly different grip shapes, and a representative example from Timor.The kampilan profile is strikingly similar to that Timorese prototype but also the blade profile has deep similarities to the klewang and mandau (parang ihlang) swords thatwere used by the Dayak of Borneo. Regardless of the origin, the kampilan has been used by the Moro for hundreds of years and generally following this distinctive and primarily distinguished by a carved hilt with a heavy crossguard and in most cases a bifurcated carved pommel decoratedwith floral decoration called okir. The design of the pommel varies between ethnic groups, but it isconsidered to depict a variety of animas including a bakunawa (dragon), buaya (crocodile), kalaw(hornbill), or a kakatua (cockatoo). Some hilts also have a plugs of hair, varying called goat orhuman hair, though the longer examples in black may well be human. Krieger (1926) refers to these "hairy kampilans" as denoting considerable rank on the part of the bearer, they areornamented with a tuft of tufts of human or horse hair at the sides of the handle.The kampilan also has a storied history and from the first-hand account of Magellanâ€â„¢s shipmate, Antonio Pigafetta, it is thought that Magellan was killed by the kampilan in the region of thesouthern Philippines. Pigafetta (2010) writes:Recognizing the captain [Magellan], so many turned upon him that they knocked his helmet offhis head twice… A native hurled a bamboo spear into the captain’s face, but the latterimmediately killed him with his lance, which he left in the native’s body. Then, trying to lay handon sword, he could draw it out but halfway, because he had been wounded in the arm with abamboo spear. When the natives saw that, they all hurled themselves upon him. One of themwounded him on the left leg with a large cutlass, which resembles a scimitar, only being larger.That caused the captain to fall face downward, when immediately they rushed upon him withiron and bamboo spears and with their cutlasses, until they killed our mirror, our light, ourcomfort, and our true guide.These early accounts considered some of the earliest European documented uses of the kampilan, the sword is mentioned in early Filipino epic poems such as the Hiligaynon Hinilawod from theVisayas; the Ilocano Biag ni Lam-Ang from Luzon; and the Maranao Darangen of Mindanao.This example in the Schmiedt Collection of fine quality. The hilt delicately carved in a darktoned and patinated wood with okir decoration and a rich chatoyancy rarely seen on kampilanhilts. The hilt also inset with longs plugs of black hair, potentially human but more likely goat.The crossguard is in the classic Moro style and inset with an iron projection for additional handprotection. The blade of classic Moro profile, with a thin ricasso and a widening blade, and inthis case with piercings at the slope, derivate perhaps of the hooks and whorls of certain Mandaublades and which supposedly one of the progenitors of the kampilan form.Total Length (inside scabbard if present) : 38 1/2" Blade Length : 28 1/4" 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 CulturalHistory4. Pigafetta, A. (2010). PIGAFETTA’S ACCOUNT OF MAGELLAN’S VOYAGE. In H. Stanley (Ed.), First Voyage Round the World by Magellan: Translated from the Accounts of Pigafetta andOther Contemporary Writers (Cambridge Library Collection †Hakluyt First Series, pp. 33â€Â163). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press5. Combes, F. (1667) Historia de Mindanao y Joló, por el p. Francisco CombÃĩs … Obra publicadaen Madrid en 1667, y que ahora con la colaboración del p. Pablo Pastells … sacanuevamente á luz W. E. Retana. Madrid: [Viuda de M. Minuesa de los Rios]6. Krieger, H. W. (1926). The collection of primitive weapons and armor of the Philippineislands in the United States National museum. Washington: Govt. Print. Off..7. Macao Museum of Art. (2007). History of Steel in East Asia. Macao Museum of Art. MacauDetailed condition reports are not included in this catalog. For additional information, including condition reports, please contact us at [email protected]
Share this lot:
