Philippine Sword?

[Jim McDougall]

[QUOTE=Ian;263576]Hi Jim,

What a nice piece and the face strikes me as very unusual on a pedang lurus. Such a clear representation of a human face on the hilt and scabbard seems antithetical to Muslim tradition, where abstract features are much more common. Perhaps this tradition applies more to keris than other Indonesian weapons, although Moro weapons use only abstract decorations of living creatures.

One possibility may be that your sword was designed for a foreigner.

I'm afraid I don't know the significance of a face on your sword and scabbard. Alan Maisey, Kai, Detlef, and others who have a better understanding of Indonesian weapons may have a clearer idea.

Sorry I can't be more specific.

Regards,

Ian.[/QUO

Thank you so much Ian! So I guess this is quite an anomaly as suggested by the absence of response.

[Ian]

Thank you so much Ian! So I guess this is quite an anomaly as suggested by the absence of response.

Yes. I think it is a bit of a puzzler, Jim.

As i look more closely at the face on the pommel, it seems to be European. There is a clear mustache and a small beard, with the cheeks shaved. As such, it qualifies as a "Van Dyck beard." This strengthens my belief that the piece was made for a European, perhaps depicted in his likeness. He seems to be a happy chappy.

[Kubur]

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

Thank you so much Ian! So I guess this is quite an anomaly as suggested by the absence of response.

I don't see any European but an Indian face. Hinduism was also present in Java. The question for me is which god is it?

[David R]

Originally Posted by Kubur

I don't see any European but an Indian face. Hinduism was also present in Java. The question for me is which god is it?

Or a lion?

[Kubur]

Very much like a lion on the scabbard
or maybe Surya the Indian god of the sun...

[Jim McDougall]

Thank you guys!! I am thinking too, something in the Hindu realm.

[Ian]

Interesting idea that this depiction is related to Hinduism. I agree that the treatment of the eyes suggests Hindu art, however a half beard and mustache is uncommon among Hindus (I don't recall seeing a half beard in Hindu art work before--usually just a mustache or a full beard and mustache). I have blown up Jim's picture of the pommel to get a clearer image of the face. It is a human image (not a lion--the ears offer a definitive identification). Suraya, the Indian God of the Sun, is only depicted with a large mustache, never a beard, so probably not related to this God.


Recent Census Data from Indonesia indicate that Hindus make up about 1.74% of the total population.


.

[Kubur]

Originally Posted by Ian

I agree that the treatment of the eyes suggests Hindu art, however a half beard and mustache is uncommon among Hindus
.

If you google "Indian god with beard", it is the response that you will get.
You have Indian god with beard and look also at the avatars.
I vote for Narasimha (seems to be a badass)

Originally Posted by Ian

Recent Census Data from Indonesia indicate that Hindus make up about 1.74% of the total population.
.

Do you have the statistics for the late 19th c.?

I agree that the guard and the scabbard tip look European ( English or Dutch)

[David]

Originally Posted by Ian

Recent Census Data from Indonesia indicate that Hindus make up about 1.74% of the total population.

Indonesian is indeed mostly Muslim. However Bali has an 86% Hindu population. About 15% of the population of Lombok also identifies as Hindu. So the majority religious make-up of Indonesia as a whole is not particularly significant if this pedang lurus is from Bali or even Lombok. What's more, Hinduism left a significant mark on Indonesia as a whole up through the Mojopahit era and those influences remain throughout regardless of Islam being the major religion in the region today. Keep in mind that the keris itself was a dagger of Hindu Jawa that was embraced by the Islam after the fall of the Mojopahit empire. There are aspects of the keris that hold inherent Hindu symbolism that was kept in place despite the advent of Islam. And one can find elements of dress that incorporate figurative representation, in mostly Islamic areas such as Madura well after Islam became the dominate religion there.
Further, what is usual for Hinduism in India does not necessarily apply to Hinduism in Indonesia. The god names and the symbols that represent them are often not the same. So we cannot really compare images of Hindu gods on Indian weapons and expect them to relate to weapons found in Indonesia that bear Hindu references.
These faces do not appear to me to be the Hindu sun god Surya. Dewa Surya is indeed venerated in Bali, but images i have seen of him do not include any facial hair (though we should note that i do not believe the face on the sheath has any facial hair).
This pedang does have some unusual features for a Javanese pedang lurus. The S-shaped cross guard is not a feature you generally see on pedangs from Jawa. This could be some sort of hybrid piece. It could indeed have some European influences. But i am not convinced as a whole that it is from Jawa, though the blade might be. Or it may well be Balinese or from Lombok. It certainly is interesting.