THE WORKMANSHIP ON ALL FITTINGS IS VERY WELL DONE AND OF HIGH QUALITY, THE BLADES NOT SO MUCH. THE BARONG SEEMS TO HAVE TOO MUCH HANDLE AND NOT ENOUGH BLADE AND THE SHAPE IS NOT A NORMAL MORO FORM. NOTE THE TWO PROTRUSIONS NEAR THE FORTE AND THE RIDGE DOWN THE BLADE. THE BONE CARVING IS BEAUTIFUL AND SOMETHING I HAVE NOT SEEN ON A MORO SWORD MORE LIKE DAYAK, INDONESIAN OR MALAY WORK. THE METAL GRIP IS VERY WELL DONE BUT FITTED TO THE HANDLE A BIT DIFFERENT THAN WHAT I SEE ON OLDER MORO BARONGS. I LIKE THE WORKMANSHIP AND FORM BUT WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THE FULL INFORMATION, WHO MADE IT, WHEN IT WAS MADE AND WHERE IT WAS MADE. I DO PREFER THE OLD ITEMS WITH A HISTORY IN THE TIMES WHEN THEY WERE USED AS INTENDED. BUT WILL COLLECT NEWER VARIATIONS TOO. BUT I LIKE TO HAVE THEM WITH PROPER PROVENANCE WHICH IS SOMETHING NOT POSSIBLE ON MOST OLDER ITEMS. ONE ADVANTAGE ON THE NEWER ART WEAPONS IS PROVENANCE IS AVAILABLE BUT OFTEN INTENTIONALLY HIDDEN SO AS TO PASS OFF THE ITEM AS A OLD ONE. THAT IS UNFORTUNATE AS THE NEW ITEMS DO HAVE A PLACE IN THE CURRENT SOCIETY BUT NO PLACE IN THE OLD. IF MADE IN THE PHILIPPINES GIVE THE INFORMATION. EVEN IF IT IS MADE IN INDONESIA IN THE LAST 20 YEARS I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHERE, WHEN AND BY WHO IT WAS MADE. PERHAPS THE MAKER WILL BECOME A FAMOUS MASTER OF THE CRAFT IN TODAYS WORLD AND ATTRACT COLLECTORS ON HIS OWN MERIT.
THE CARVING ON THE KAMPILIAN AND SCABBARD IS VERY GOOD TOO BUT ONCE AGAIN THE BLADE FALLS SHORT OF THE MARK. THE SIZE OF THE TWO WEAPONS LOOKS A BIT SHORT AS WELL WHAT ARE THE MEASUREMENTS?
I DO LIKE THEM BECAUSE OF THE WORKMANSHIP AND AS MODERN ART BUT NOT ETHINOGRAPHIC ART AS I DON'T KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT THEM.
