A Maranao Kris

Spunjer · 31st August 2016, 11:41 PM

my latest acquisition: a maranao kris from the 19th century. what amazes me about this piece is the completeness and the condition that it's in. i guess a definite advantage having been passed on from not too many people.
this particular piece was originally acquired by John J. Snyder, an officer in the US Navy during the Phil-Am war. it stayed with his family all these years, and it appears to be it has been stored properly.
there were some rust which i removed. other than that, that was it. there are some dark spots which i decided to leave.
as far as the kris is concerned:
the scabbard is definitely original with sword. not quite sure what type of material was used, but the crosspiece was darkened with some type of native dye. as i was trying to clean it off with warm water and soap, it looks like it was coming off, so i just left it as it is, and applied renaissance wax. a curious addition that i don't normally see on moro scabbard is a piece of carabao horn to decorate the tip of the scabbard, or per indonesian keris terminology, the buntot. given that the main body of the scabbard is made out of light colored wood, it gives off a very nice visual contrast.
now, the kris:

what can i say; it's a freakin' work of art. starting at the pommel, it's made out of silver. i doubt it's solid: most likely wood, then covered with silver. the handle itself comprised of swaasa rings broken up by thinner rings made out of filigreed silver rings. closest to the pommel is a collar made out of swaasa as well.
a single silver baka-baka decorated with Maranao okir clamps to the blade.

the blade:
one of the finest i've ever owned. whoever made this was one talented panday. i just love the way he made the wide part closest to the handle where one normally sees an incised arrow, out of twistcore bar. twistcore runs almost all the way to the tip. one thing i notice: as oppose to most sulu twistcore, this one doesn't have a naga okir on the tip. must be some tribal preference... the gangya is laminated, and it appears the edge are laminated as well. overall, in a true maranao fashion, this baby is heavy!

attached are close up for your enjoyment!

Ian · 31st August 2016, 11:54 PM

Gorgeous kris Ron! Lovely blade and exquisite silver and gold hilt. Definitely a sword for a man of distinction. Congratulations on a great find.

I was wondering, looking at the blade, whether this sword might have started its existence to the south of the Philippines. The wide straight blade with deep fullers is unusual for a Moro piece. Also, the toe of the scabbard. Just reminds me of some that we have seen before that likely came from what is now N. Borneo/Malaysia. Just a thought.

Do you think the blade might be older than 19th C.? It would be unusually heavy for an earlier Moro piece.

Again, congrats on an excellent piece.

Ian

Rick · 1st September 2016, 01:01 AM

Oh my!!!

CharlesS · 1st September 2016, 01:03 AM

Great piece Ron. I love the crisp fullering and matching twistcore...so bold and consistent!

Great get! Congrats!

DaveS · 1st September 2016, 02:20 AM

Fantastic blade!!!!!!!!. About as good as it can get.......Dave.

kai · 1st September 2016, 02:43 AM

Congrats, Ron, another gorgeous catch - the blade and the hilt are amazing!

You mention that it is heavy: How does the blade feel when swinging it?

I don't think the blade is much older than the Phil.-Am. war period; this will - in addition to proper storage - also figure into the nice preservation...

I note that the clamp doesn't seem to be attached to the hilt; any ideas why the craftsmanship also looks a bit subpar?

While the horn buntut is a nice touch, the scabbard quality does not match this kris IMHO, especially considering the wood and carving/finish. It might be a replacement ordered for a battle pick-up. Any notable wear visible inside?

Regards,
Kai

kai · 1st September 2016, 02:52 AM

Hello Ian,

Quote:

I was wondering, looking at the blade, whether this sword might have started its existence to the south of the Philippines. The wide straight blade with deep fullers is unusual for a Moro piece. Also, the toe of the scabbard. Just reminds me of some that we have seen before that likely came from what is now N. Borneo/Malaysia. Just a thought.

I have yet to see any reasonably provenanced blades like this from Sabah or thereabouts.

However, there is a family of keris sundang blades from the Malay peninsula which shares quite a few of these features. IMVHO, this blade does not exhibit any clear Malay features while the base does seem consistent with a Moro and more specifically Maranao origin as already noted by Ron.

Regards,
Kai

Spunjer · 1st September 2016, 05:10 AM

thanks all! for once, Facebook was good for something in regards to acquiring this piece

Quote:

I was wondering, looking at the blade, whether this sword might have started its existence to the south of the Philippines. The wide straight blade with deep fullers is unusual for a Moro piece. Also, the toe of the scabbard. Just reminds me of some that we have seen before that likely came from what is now N. Borneo/Malaysia. Just a thought. Do you think the blade might be older than 19th C.? It would be unusually heavy for an earlier Moro piece.

i'm kinda thinking in the same line of thought, Ian, in regards to having some influence from farther south. a possibility would be whoever originally owned this was a transplant, or has traveled extensively down south. enough anyways to influence the style of the blade.
as far as age, i'm with Kai that the blade was most likely made around late 19th century, but of course, we can never know for sure.

Quote:

You mention that it is heavy: How does the blade feel when swinging it?

it's balance, if that's what you want to know, but you could definitely feel some heft to it.

Quote:

I note that the clamp doesn't seem to be attached to the hilt; any ideas why the craftsmanship also looks a bit subpar?

it's an optical illusion. the clamp was made to look like it's not connected. my thinking is, it was made that way so it won't look sloppy had it been wrapped with a strip of metal and tucked inside the handle. instead, what the panday did was soldered an L-shaped bracket under the clamp and slid it under the handle. slick, huh? notice the space under the clamp...

as far as the scabbard. i highly doubt this was a battle field pick up, given the condition it's in. i think it's just one of those Moro weapon idiosyncrasy: there's that one part in the whole ensemble that does not jive. the whole focus on this particular kris is on the handle and blade, so to show it off, it has to be out of the scabbard...

drac2k · 1st September 2016, 05:44 AM

So did the Genie give you one wish or do you have another one as well ?
There is nothing that I can say that hasn't been said except thanks for sharing that magnificent sword with us !

mariusgmioc · 1st September 2016, 07:39 AM

Thank you for this magnificent example!

asomotif · 1st September 2016, 12:51 PM

Lovely example. how was the hilt when you bought it ? did you clean it ?

Bestregards,
Willem

kino · 1st September 2016, 03:10 PM

Nice catch, homie.
I like it that you've polished the hilt. It really stands out. Just wondering, does it have a pinkish/reddish hue to the silver?
Congrats.

mross · 1st September 2016, 04:07 PM

Absolutely outstanding. If ever there was a museum quality piece this is it.

Gustav · 1st September 2016, 04:42 PM

Indeed an outstanding piece, Ron.

The fullers till end of the blade give it something like a Malay touch indeed, a singular feature.

Croccifixio · 1st September 2016, 05:20 PM

This speaks to me so much. I am a big fan of straight kris and this is the finest example I've seen by far. Just... Wow.

David · 1st September 2016, 07:51 PM

Please forgive my drooling catcalling....YOWZAH!!!

Sajen · 1st September 2016, 08:29 PM

Wow, great catch! Congrats.

Detlef

Spunjer · 1st September 2016, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Lovely example. how was the hilt when you bought it ? did you clean it ?

Willem,
here's a couple pics of what it looked like before i cleaned it. the only thing different is the tarnish that covered the metals. i really thought the whole thing was silver, but much to my surprise when i found out the handle is swaasa..

Kino,
nah, it's full on metallic silver; it's just highly polished. the tint is just a reflection from the red shirt i was wearing when i was taking the pics, lol

Gustav,

Quote:

The fullers till end of the blade give it something like a Malay touch indeed, a singular feature.

funny you mentioned that. between that, and the carabao buntot, this piece seems to have a strong Malay influence...

Drac2k,
no genie, besides what's in the kris's blade, although the time machine i've been messing with is finally working right

lol, i jest.

VANDOO · 1st September 2016, 11:54 PM

A FINE KRIS INDEED CONGRAT'S

Battara · 2nd September 2016, 02:25 AM

What a wonderful example, congratulations!

The okie looks a little more Maguindanao, but they are very close and difficult to distinguish.

Also looks like there is more silver in the swassa than I usually see.

And I do see your point on the red shirt reflection.........

31st August 2016, 11:41 PM	#1
Spunjer Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Witness Protection Program Posts: 1,730	A Maranao Kris my latest acquisition: a maranao kris from the 19th century. what amazes me about this piece is the completeness and the condition that it's in. i guess a definite advantage having been passed on from not too many people. this particular piece was originally acquired by John J. Snyder, an officer in the US Navy during the Phil-Am war. it stayed with his family all these years, and it appears to be it has been stored properly. there were some rust which i removed. other than that, that was it. there are some dark spots which i decided to leave. as far as the kris is concerned: the scabbard is definitely original with sword. not quite sure what type of material was used, but the crosspiece was darkened with some type of native dye. as i was trying to clean it off with warm water and soap, it looks like it was coming off, so i just left it as it is, and applied renaissance wax. a curious addition that i don't normally see on moro scabbard is a piece of carabao horn to decorate the tip of the scabbard, or per indonesian keris terminology, the buntot. given that the main body of the scabbard is made out of light colored wood, it gives off a very nice visual contrast. now, the kris: what can i say; it's a freakin' work of art. starting at the pommel, it's made out of silver. i doubt it's solid: most likely wood, then covered with silver. the handle itself comprised of swaasa rings broken up by thinner rings made out of filigreed silver rings. closest to the pommel is a collar made out of swaasa as well. a single silver baka-baka decorated with Maranao okir clamps to the blade. the blade: one of the finest i've ever owned. whoever made this was one talented panday. i just love the way he made the wide part closest to the handle where one normally sees an incised arrow, out of twistcore bar. twistcore runs almost all the way to the tip. one thing i notice: as oppose to most sulu twistcore, this one doesn't have a naga okir on the tip. must be some tribal preference... the gangya is laminated, and it appears the edge are laminated as well. overall, in a true maranao fashion, this baby is heavy! attached are close up for your enjoyment! Attached Images

31st August 2016, 11:54 PM	#2
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,198	Gorgeous kris Ron! Lovely blade and exquisite silver and gold hilt. Definitely a sword for a man of distinction. Congratulations on a great find. I was wondering, looking at the blade, whether this sword might have started its existence to the south of the Philippines. The wide straight blade with deep fullers is unusual for a Moro piece. Also, the toe of the scabbard. Just reminds me of some that we have seen before that likely came from what is now N. Borneo/Malaysia. Just a thought. Do you think the blade might be older than 19th C.? It would be unusually heavy for an earlier Moro piece. Again, congrats on an excellent piece. Ian

1st September 2016, 01:01 AM	#3
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,293	Oh my!!!

1st September 2016, 01:03 AM	#4
CharlesS Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Greenville, NC Posts: 1,857	Great piece Ron. I love the crisp fullering and matching twistcore...so bold and consistent! Great get! Congrats!

1st September 2016, 02:20 AM	#5
DaveS Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 327	Fantastic blade!!!!!!!!. About as good as it can get.......Dave.

1st September 2016, 02:43 AM	#6
kai Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 3,254	Congrats, Ron, another gorgeous catch - the blade and the hilt are amazing! You mention that it is heavy: How does the blade feel when swinging it? I don't think the blade is much older than the Phil.-Am. war period; this will - in addition to proper storage - also figure into the nice preservation... I note that the clamp doesn't seem to be attached to the hilt; any ideas why the craftsmanship also looks a bit subpar? While the horn buntut is a nice touch, the scabbard quality does not match this kris IMHO, especially considering the wood and carving/finish. It might be a replacement ordered for a battle pick-up. Any notable wear visible inside? Regards, Kai

1st September 2016, 05:44 AM	#9
drac2k Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 1,230	So did the Genie give you one wish or do you have another one as well ? There is nothing that I can say that hasn't been said except thanks for sharing that magnificent sword with us !

1st September 2016, 07:39 AM	#10
mariusgmioc Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Austria Posts: 1,903	Thank you for this magnificent example!

1st September 2016, 12:51 PM	#11
asomotif Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 2,225	Lovely example. how was the hilt when you bought it ? did you clean it ? Bestregards, Willem

1st September 2016, 03:10 PM	#12
kino Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,002	Nice catch, homie. I like it that you've polished the hilt. It really stands out. Just wondering, does it have a pinkish/reddish hue to the silver? Congrats.

1st September 2016, 04:07 PM	#13
mross Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 478	Absolutely outstanding. If ever there was a museum quality piece this is it.

1st September 2016, 04:42 PM	#14
Gustav Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 1,247	Indeed an outstanding piece, Ron. The fullers till end of the blade give it something like a Malay touch indeed, a singular feature.

1st September 2016, 05:20 PM	#15
Croccifixio Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Posts: 33	This speaks to me so much. I am a big fan of straight kris and this is the finest example I've seen by far. Just... Wow.

1st September 2016, 07:51 PM	#16
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,123	Please forgive my drooling catcalling....YOWZAH!!!

1st September 2016, 08:29 PM	#17
Sajen Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Germany, Dortmund Posts: 8,779	Wow, great catch! Congrats. Detlef

1st September 2016, 11:54 PM	#19
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	A FINE KRIS INDEED CONGRAT'S

2nd September 2016, 02:25 AM	#20
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,219	What a wonderful example, congratulations! The okie looks a little more Maguindanao, but they are very close and difficult to distinguish. Also looks like there is more silver in the swassa than I usually see. And I do see your point on the red shirt reflection.........