Maguindanao twistcore Kris.

Ian · 19th August 2024, 02:06 AM

Hi Rob, I think that it is really difficult to pin down 19th C kris to a specific part of the 19th C. Pre-1800 styles may still have been made in the first half of the 19th C, or perhaps even later, and more "modern" versions might date back to the mid-19th C or earlier. I do think we underestimate the age of some Mindanao kris that are on the larger side. Unfortunately, these swords carry no dated inscriptions like some Eastern swords do.

The paucity of clearly provenanced pieces always makes it hard to know when these were made. Of course, when a kris was made and when it was collected can be very different times. Obviously, a sword may be already old when collected. Thus, a kris entering a Spanish collection in the 19th C, for example, will be given a date for its acquisition but not for when it was made (which is almost always unknown). For this reason, I believe there is a systematic bias to attributing an age to swords that is less than their true age. Such bias might be out by decades or more than a century in individual cases.

I find it difficult to talk more specifically about age than a sword likely coming from the first or second half of the 19th C.

19th August 2024, 02:06 AM	#20
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,396	Hi Rob, I think that it is really difficult to pin down 19th C kris to a specific part of the 19th C. Pre-1800 styles may still have been made in the first half of the 19th C, or perhaps even later, and more "modern" versions might date back to the mid-19th C or earlier. I do think we underestimate the age of some Mindanao kris that are on the larger side. Unfortunately, these swords carry no dated inscriptions like some Eastern swords do. The paucity of clearly provenanced pieces always makes it hard to know when these were made. Of course, when a kris was made and when it was collected can be very different times. Obviously, a sword may be already old when collected. Thus, a kris entering a Spanish collection in the 19th C, for example, will be given a date for its acquisition but not for when it was made (which is almost always unknown). For this reason, I believe there is a systematic bias to attributing an age to swords that is less than their true age. Such bias might be out by decades or more than a century in individual cases. I find it difficult to talk more specifically about age than a sword likely coming from the first or second half of the 19th C.