Moro kris or sundang?

Battara · 10th February 2014, 03:10 AM

It is possible that it is a Malay blade, although early Moro kris blades look similar to Malay sundang.

Robert · 11th February 2014, 10:30 PM

Hello Apolaki, Wonderful piece. I am not experienced enough with these to be able to make an expert judgement call on who or where this was made but, the overall appearance looks more Moro to me than Malay. Either way it is a beautiful piece and I too would love to see it cleaned and etched.

Best,
Robert

apolaki · 12th February 2014, 06:06 AM

Thank you all for your impressions of this piece. Can you tell me what features lead you to believe it is a Moro kris as opposed to a Sundang from Malaysia? For those who believe it is a Sundang, can you discern approximate age based on its features?

kai · 16th February 2014, 10:40 PM

Hello apolaki,

Could you please try to take pics in more light (lightly clouded day around noon)? I'd especially like a closeup of the base of the blade (both sides, please) taken directly from above since angled shots distort some features.

Is there any info/provenance for your piece?

Quote:

Thank you all for your impressions of this piece. Can you tell me what features lead you to believe it is a Moro kris as opposed to a Sundang from Malaysia?

Tried to explain above. Am adding pics of another example in the next posting.

Quote:

For those who believe it is a Sundang, can you discern approximate age based on its features?

Dating Malay sundangs seems to be very tough. Based on the wear of your example, 19th c. (regardless of its origin) seems plausible to me though.

Regards,
Kai

kai · 16th February 2014, 10:45 PM

Sold example from Stefan's site:
IMHO Datu quality from Sulu; pamor more controlled.

Regards,
Kai

16th February 2014, 10:45 PM	#5
kai Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 3,255	Sold example from Stefan's site: IMHO Datu quality from Sulu; pamor more controlled. Regards, Kai Attached Images

10th February 2014, 03:10 AM	#1
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,272	It is possible that it is a Malay blade, although early Moro kris blades look similar to Malay sundang.

11th February 2014, 10:30 PM	#2
Robert EAAF Staff Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Centerville, Kansas Posts: 2,196	Hello Apolaki, Wonderful piece. I am not experienced enough with these to be able to make an expert judgement call on who or where this was made but, the overall appearance looks more Moro to me than Malay. Either way it is a beautiful piece and I too would love to see it cleaned and etched. Best, Robert

12th February 2014, 06:06 AM	#3
apolaki Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 160	Thank you all for your impressions of this piece. Can you tell me what features lead you to believe it is a Moro kris as opposed to a Sundang from Malaysia? For those who believe it is a Sundang, can you discern approximate age based on its features?