Dha for coments

[fernando]

What appears to be the poorest component, is the 26 cms. blade which, although being sharpened, doesn't seem to be of noble material ... like giving the sword a touristic look. I will have to clean its rust, to see if looks a bit nicer then. Anyway i can't propperly judge, as i am not at all acquainted with the range of dha blades in general; i wonder whether that curvature of the tip is a traditional form, or if it has been rearranged.
The ivory grip and the silver scabbard and collar look fine (to me), both showing a considerable patina ... better than in the pictures.
I wonder what i could call this specimen type; i checked the index at Mark's Dha Research page, but i couldn't make it for myself .
As for provenance, i assume it is Burmese ... or not ?
Would this ( hopefully ) be non tourist stuff ? Some age, like XIX century ?
Gentlemen, your coments will be most apreciated.
Fernando

[RhysMichael]

Its always hard to work just from pictures but to me it does not look like a tourist item. It looks legit. This style of dha have simple blades. I personally have never seen one of these that did not have a rather plain blade to it. The dha I have with inlaid blades have for the most part simpler scabbards. I'm guessing this to be shan but others will know better. It looks to be one I would be happy to have in my collection from the pictures so congratulations

[DhaDha]

Nice. Burmese, maybe Shan. Dress dagger, I think I've heard them called. Late 19th early 20th century. Congrats.
Shawn

[Mark]

Originally Posted by RhysMichael

Its always hard to work just from pictures but to me it does not look like a tourist item. It looks legit. This style of dha have simple blades. I personally have never seen one of these that did not have a rather plain blade to it. The dha I have with inlaid blades have for the most part simpler scabbards. I'm guessing this to be shan but others will know better. It looks to be one I would be happy to have in my collection from the pictures so congratulations

What he said.

This is indeed a Shan style, and the handle is one of the typical forms, so it has not been re-shaped.

Saying it is "Shan" is not a very precise geographic designator, though, as the people called Shan by the Bama (Burmese), but who refer to themselves as Tai or Tai Yuan, live in a area covering parts of Burma, Thailand, Yunnan, and Laos, and I am not sure whether this particular style is favored in a particular sub-zone of this area. They are certainly commonly found in Burma, so I think that it is safe to say that they are used at least by the Burma Shan, and it is my working assumption that this is a style favored in the western areas of Tai territory.

[fernando]

Excelent. I am much obliged to these Forum "dhafiosi" for their coments and info ... if i am allowed the expression
Here is the blade after some cleaning. While i handled it, i felt that its edge is rather sharp and can easily cut.
... The metal is not so humble as i first thaught; instead of soft iron, it appears to have some temper.
Mark, is it nonsense to say that this specimen has some similarity with #60 and #61 of The Dha Research index, specially the silver work ?
Thanks again
Fernando

[fernando]

Originally Posted by RhysMichael

...The dha I have with inlaid blades have for the most part simpler scabbards ...

Your'e right John; the dha i have with an inlaid blade also has a simple scabbard. Amazingly, i have just noticed that, the decoration of my such example is extremely similar to one the specimens shown in your page ... and so is the type of "stamping" on the grip collars.
Most certainly they originate from the same region, right ?

[Mark]

Yes, C60 & C61 are also examples of this type. That scabbard & silverwork style is seen quite often, on a variety of dha (see ## 42, 49, 52, 52, 64, 66, 69, 70, C13, C34-36, C52, C53, C60-63). I think that there also is a relation to dha of the style seen in ## 37, 44, 61, C1, C41, and the like, which have a similar "foot" on the scabbard, with varying degrees of flare, and the sectioned scabbard fittings as opposed to bands. The same silver bead and filigree design is also seen on the somewhat differently-styled #45.

[fernando]

Originally Posted by Mark

Yes, C60 & C61 are also examples of this type. That scabbard & silverwork style is seen quite often, on a variety of dha (see ## 42, 49, 52, 52, 64, 66, 69, 70, C13, C34-36, C52, C53, C60-63). I think that there also is a relation to dha of the style seen in ## 37, 44, 61, C1, C41, and the like, which have a similar "foot" on the scabbard, with varying degrees of flare, and the sectioned scabbard fittings as opposed to bands. The same silver bead and filigree design is also seen on the somewhat differently-styled #45.

Thank you for your comprehensive input, Mark. I think i have picked C60 and C61 instinctively, because of their similar (to mine) type of grip; the collar in silver and the rest all in ivory ... no pommel.

[RhysMichael]

Originally Posted by fernando

Your'e right John; the dha i have with an inlaid blade also has a simple scabbard. Amazingly, i have just noticed that, the decoration of my such example is extremely similar to one the specimens shown in your page ... and so is the type of "stamping" on the grip collars.
Most certainly they originate from the same region, right ?

I am sure they are from the same influences and I would not be surprised if they were from the same maker. I cannot offer anymore about where mine came from originally. I have no idea

[fernando]

Originally Posted by RhysMichael

I am sure they are from the same influences and I would not be surprised if they were from the same maker. I cannot offer anymore about where mine came from originally. I have no idea

Thank you all the same