A quiz for collectors of South-East-Asian swords

Ian · 3rd November 2015, 01:55 PM

Detlef:

I think the deafening silence to your challenge over the last day or so reflects the unusual nature of this sword and a certain difficulty in placing it to a particular region or people.

I'll give it a try. Since you have specified a SE Asian origin, I won't consider other sources, although I would not rule out colonial areas in Central and South America.

First off, I have not seen a very similar sword previously, and it does not fit into any pattern with which I am familiar, which always makes me think of a mix of cultural styles or a specially commissioned item.

With that in mind, the hilt shows symmetrical small ferrules that appear to be made of brass, flanking a wooden handle that is not a cylinder but rather has a continuous swelling that is widest in the middle. It is hard to tell if the hilt is a full tang construction. While the dual ferrules might make me think of a Burmese or nearby origin, the swollen handle does not fit, nor the S-shaped cross guard. If we follow the mainland SE Asian thought, this hilt with an S-shaped guard would fit with a Chinese influence. An alternative source of the hilt and guard might reflect European influence/origin--such as the Spanish Philippines; French Indochina; British NE India, Burma or Malaya; or the Dutch East Indies.

The blade is more puzzling. A "diamond" cross section suggests prominent medial ridges on both sides of the blade. This is not a characteristic of native blades from SE Asia in my experience, and suggests a possible European influence. I have seen a single medial "ridge" on a couple of swords from the Philippines, but these had a corresponding triangular cross section (which is why I asked about the grind on the edge of this sword) and were distinguished by other Spanish elements (one had a Spanish inscription).

Lastly, the shape of the blade is odd--being of "saber" form but narrow at forte and then widening considerably towards the tip. There are various parang that show this shape, but the overall length (37") is much larger than typically found.

Unusually long swords can be found in the Assam area of India and nearby regions. A couple of examples from this area have medial "ridges," but those weapons have straight blades quite different from the present example. Your sword does not ring any bells for me in regard to native weapons from those areas.

So, if pushed for an opinion I would say this is a unique piece made for a specific individual, most likely a foreigner, possibly from the Philippines but hard to pin down the region. My second choice would be a Chinese-influenced piece from mainland SE Asia, possibly Vietnam.

As to age--early to mid-20th C.

Ian.

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3rd November 2015, 01:55 PM	#4
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,481	Detlef: I think the deafening silence to your challenge over the last day or so reflects the unusual nature of this sword and a certain difficulty in placing it to a particular region or people. I'll give it a try. Since you have specified a SE Asian origin, I won't consider other sources, although I would not rule out colonial areas in Central and South America. First off, I have not seen a very similar sword previously, and it does not fit into any pattern with which I am familiar, which always makes me think of a mix of cultural styles or a specially commissioned item. With that in mind, the hilt shows symmetrical small ferrules that appear to be made of brass, flanking a wooden handle that is not a cylinder but rather has a continuous swelling that is widest in the middle. It is hard to tell if the hilt is a full tang construction. While the dual ferrules might make me think of a Burmese or nearby origin, the swollen handle does not fit, nor the S-shaped cross guard. If we follow the mainland SE Asian thought, this hilt with an S-shaped guard would fit with a Chinese influence. An alternative source of the hilt and guard might reflect European influence/origin--such as the Spanish Philippines; French Indochina; British NE India, Burma or Malaya; or the Dutch East Indies. The blade is more puzzling. A "diamond" cross section suggests prominent medial ridges on both sides of the blade. This is not a characteristic of native blades from SE Asia in my experience, and suggests a possible European influence. I have seen a single medial "ridge" on a couple of swords from the Philippines, but these had a corresponding triangular cross section (which is why I asked about the grind on the edge of this sword) and were distinguished by other Spanish elements (one had a Spanish inscription). Lastly, the shape of the blade is odd--being of "saber" form but narrow at forte and then widening considerably towards the tip. There are various parang that show this shape, but the overall length (37") is much larger than typically found. Unusually long swords can be found in the Assam area of India and nearby regions. A couple of examples from this area have medial "ridges," but those weapons have straight blades quite different from the present example. Your sword does not ring any bells for me in regard to native weapons from those areas. So, if pushed for an opinion I would say this is a unique piece made for a specific individual, most likely a foreigner, possibly from the Philippines but hard to pin down the region. My second choice would be a Chinese-influenced piece from mainland SE Asia, possibly Vietnam. As to age--early to mid-20th C. Ian.