small Rencong

[mariusgmioc]

Hello,
Just got this small silver Rencong with a 13 cm (5.1") blade made of silver. I had no idea the blade is made of silver and I bought it for it's curves (cannot blame me for loving curves right... ).
As I know very little about this type of knives, any comment would be welcomed.

[Sajen]

Hi Marius,

think I've seen a similar small rencong from silver here before, maybe search a little bit in old threads. It's a very well made piece, blade is silver or silver plated IMVHO. Maybe worked as gift for a "diplomat"?
Nice piece, I like it.

Regards,
Detlef

[mariusgmioc]

Originally Posted by Sajen

Hi Marius,

think I've seen a similar small rencong from silver here before, maybe search a little bit in old threads. It's a very well made piece, blade is silver or silver plated IMVHO. Maybe worked as gift for a "diplomat"?
Nice piece, I like it.

Regards,
Detlef

Thank you Detlef for your commen!

The blade is fully silver. I would have preferred a honest steel one but... couldn't resist the curves.

[kai]

Hello Marius,

This is a really sweet one!

I'm sure it was meant as a souvenir or gift - however, it is of much better quality than the silver miniatures of Indo weapons commonly found in the Netherlands which are often not perfectly true to the type.

The motifs are very close to original and the general shape is closer to antique rencong (except for the somewhat broader blade) than most "real" rencong from the 20th century. Thus, I'd guess that this is an early quality example made in Aceh rather than Yogya...

Regards,
Kai

[mariusgmioc]

Thank you Kai for your comments!

While on the small side, the renkong is definitely not a miniature, but a full size knife (measuring 27,5 cm/11" overall).

Since it has a silver blade, it is obviously not meant to be used as a weapon but maybe as a present... or just as a dress accessory for a rich individual... I guess...

[kai]

Hello Marius,

While on the small side, the renkong is definitely not a miniature, but a full size knife (measuring 27,5 cm/11" overall).

Yeah, I was just comparing it to the smaller all-silver miniatures...

Since it has a silver blade, it is obviously not meant to be used as a weapon but maybe as a present... or just as a dress accessory for a rich individual...

I don't think it was intended for local wear (an iron blade would be important on several levels); most likely a presentation piece, indeed.

On a second view, it should be noted that the broader blade as well as the style of the cross-piece point to a 20th century origin; considering the quality work, pre-WW2 and IMHO likely early during this period.

Regards,
Kai