Could this be Chinese ?

[Sajen]

I disagree with you folks. I think that the knife in question coming from the Dai people, North Laos/Yunnan, please compare the silver mounts with the ones we have seen by dha from this area. Also the file work at the spine let me think like this. But like always I could be wrong.

I am curious what the Mongolian friends from Blue Lander will tell him.

Regards,
Detlef

[Gavin Nugent]

Detlef, I agree with you on your assessment, so your not alone. All motifs and manufacture aspects do point to then region you note with the raised paste or gem being a little atypical of the region though.

Gavin

[Peter Dekker]

Good points!

While I was obsessively looking at blade and decorative elements, I agree the silverwork -while displaying typical Chinese design elements- is not very typical for Northern Chinese knives. Neither is the scabbard's round cross-section, which is commonly oval in Northern China. A quick search also turned up Yunnan scabbards with exactly those lozenges.

Detlef, do you have examples of these filed backs of knives or swords of Laos/Yunnan? I'd be interested in seeing some.

[Gavin Nugent]

Here are a couple Peter;

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showpo...64&postcount=4

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showpo...04&postcount=9

Several others both single and of the paired types on the second link are also known with filed backs...

Personally, I believe both of these types are from the Laos regions inland from Hanoi...based on a Dah I have with fine provenance in identical dress to the pair in the first link...but there are years of study still to be done for both.

Gavin

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by Peter Dekker

Detlef, do you have examples of these filed backs of knives or swords of Laos/Yunnan? I'd be interested in seeing some.

Hello Peter,

unfortunately not. Wish I have. The shown example is very nice.

The two examples Gavin has posted are not an exact match but show what we mean.

Regards,
Detlef

[Sajen]

Here some other examples which show that this knife coming from the suggested region:
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ghlight=yunnan
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ghlight=yunnan (special post #6)

Regards,
Detlef

[Gavin Nugent]

Update shortly...

Gavin

[Peter Dekker]

Hi guys,

That's a very nice set of hudiedao you got there. I also very much like the engravings on the blade, thanks for sharing.

As for the exact file work on the back, file work of many kinds is quite common in China but I meant something really close to this knife in a Beijingnese oxtail.

Unfortunately I can't seem to find pics of the exact niuweidao I had in mind but here what's perhaps best described as a Chinese falchion I've had with similar features. Only, the dips between the segments of file work are less deep on these. On that oxtail, they were as deep as on the knife that is the subject of this thread.

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by Gavin Nugent

Detlef, I agree with you on your assessment, so your not alone. All motifs and manufacture aspects do point to then region you note with the raised paste or gem being a little atypical of the region though.

Gavin

Hi Gavin,

good to know that I am not allone!

Regards,
Detlef