How old is the kora, as a type?

Jens Nordlunde · 6th September 2005, 04:39 PM

Hi Spiral, thanks for the picture, it looks rather short an heavy.

Hi Jim, Interesting what you write, and yes, bothe the kora Spiral shows and the 'Danish' koras can not be considered as being 'prototypes'.
I have checked a few more books about the kora, and in P.Holstein’s book ‘Contribution a L’etude des Armes Orientales’, Paris 1931, vol. II, I found one kora – only one, one plate XXXVI. It has a long slender blade, like the koras from Copenhagen, but the blade is decorated; the hilt is somewhat different from the ones in Copenhagen, as it is decorated. I can’t see anywhere that he gives an age, but he does write Nepal.

‘Musee de Tzaraskoe-Selo, Armes et Armeurs’, St Petersborg, 1856, plate LXVII. Here is also shown a kora, but only one. It is rather short, curved with a distinct mid rib, no age is given but it is attributed to Nepal.

About the Royal Danish Kunstkammer. The Danish king Frederik II (1559-88) had already in 1560 a plan to make a ‘Wunderkammer’ at the castle Krogen (the later Elsinor castle – although the two castles were not placed at the same place, as Krogen was placed a bit inland and higher than Kronborg at Elsenor. Kronborg was founded at the coast, so the canons could remember the passing ships to pay the tax for sailing into Danish waters). The collection was later moved to the old castle in Copenhagen. The interesting thing is, that the first inventory lists were made in 1674 and 1689, which means that the first seven koras must have arrived at the Kunstkammer somewhere between 1560 and 1674, and the last one between 1674 and 1689. Unless someone, by accident, find a inventory list from a Danish war/merchant ship we will never know exactly when the first koras entered the museum, but it must have been in the span of about 114 years between the start to the first inventory

Btw Tranquebar was a Danish colony from 1620 to 1845, it is known that the Danes have been visiting India earlier than that, but that was when the colony was founded.

If nothing else can be found in other museums, I think we will have to study what the early travellers wrote, and then maybe, we will find something of interest.

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6th September 2005, 04:39 PM	#8
Jens Nordlunde Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Europe Posts: 2,718	Hi Spiral, thanks for the picture, it looks rather short an heavy. Hi Jim, Interesting what you write, and yes, bothe the kora Spiral shows and the 'Danish' koras can not be considered as being 'prototypes'. I have checked a few more books about the kora, and in P.Holstein’s book ‘Contribution a L’etude des Armes Orientales’, Paris 1931, vol. II, I found one kora – only one, one plate XXXVI. It has a long slender blade, like the koras from Copenhagen, but the blade is decorated; the hilt is somewhat different from the ones in Copenhagen, as it is decorated. I can’t see anywhere that he gives an age, but he does write Nepal. ‘Musee de Tzaraskoe-Selo, Armes et Armeurs’, St Petersborg, 1856, plate LXVII. Here is also shown a kora, but only one. It is rather short, curved with a distinct mid rib, no age is given but it is attributed to Nepal. About the Royal Danish Kunstkammer. The Danish king Frederik II (1559-88) had already in 1560 a plan to make a ‘Wunderkammer’ at the castle Krogen (the later Elsinor castle – although the two castles were not placed at the same place, as Krogen was placed a bit inland and higher than Kronborg at Elsenor. Kronborg was founded at the coast, so the canons could remember the passing ships to pay the tax for sailing into Danish waters). The collection was later moved to the old castle in Copenhagen. The interesting thing is, that the first inventory lists were made in 1674 and 1689, which means that the first seven koras must have arrived at the Kunstkammer somewhere between 1560 and 1674, and the last one between 1674 and 1689. Unless someone, by accident, find a inventory list from a Danish war/merchant ship we will never know exactly when the first koras entered the museum, but it must have been in the span of about 114 years between the start to the first inventory Btw Tranquebar was a Danish colony from 1620 to 1845, it is known that the Danes have been visiting India earlier than that, but that was when the colony was founded. If nothing else can be found in other museums, I think we will have to study what the early travellers wrote, and then maybe, we will find something of interest.