Unsual Double Piso Halasan

kai · 7th January 2018, 08:01 PM

Hello Charles,

Thanks for posting another enigma!

This time I'm more inclined to play devil's advocate and believe we should seriously consider sales to those who travel for pleasure, I'm afraid.

Most piso halasan were first and foremost for status/ceremonial wear.

Ignoring the double feature, the scabbard resembles the standard Karo kalasan scabbard a bit; however it is not of traditional style/decoration, especially for a status piece!

A silver ferrule is again a Karo feature while these are Toba hilts which may have casted brass ferrules (more of a selut than a ferrule for the usual stag hilts though).

The blades should exhibit a hardened edge (or laminated construction) upon etching which is tough to ascertain from the pics. These Karo blades got (and get?) forged well into recent times.

Patina is not a reliable indicator for Batak since early tourist pieces are now way older than 100 years: as mentioned recently, there were non-traditional workshops for the curio market already in the late 19th century...

Regards,
Kai

kai · 7th January 2018, 08:06 PM

P.S.: I should also mention that there is a Batak double knife. However, this seems to be more of a working tool and the blades are not placed alongside (as in Chinese double weapons) but in a row so that both are visible.

CharlesS · 9th January 2018, 12:13 AM

Being an old tourist piece would be a distinct possibility, but I would think that tourists would be more drawn to more blingy objects than this quite plain thing.

The blades do have tempered edges, and it is best noticeable with the one that is at the bottom of the pic of the 3 pieces shown separately. I did not etch out the blade too darkly...it looked unnatural.

The only thing that draws me away from the tourist theory is the wear to the scabbard and especially the silver bands. They have seen real wear and tear, especially at their edges, just as one might expect form carrying or pushing the scabbard through a belt of some sort.

I suppose if the tourist piece theory is correct, better to have a 100-year-old one and a tacky modern one!!

7th January 2018, 08:01 PM	#1
kai Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 3,255	Hello Charles, Thanks for posting another enigma! This time I'm more inclined to play devil's advocate and believe we should seriously consider sales to those who travel for pleasure, I'm afraid. Most piso halasan were first and foremost for status/ceremonial wear. Ignoring the double feature, the scabbard resembles the standard Karo kalasan scabbard a bit; however it is not of traditional style/decoration, especially for a status piece! A silver ferrule is again a Karo feature while these are Toba hilts which may have casted brass ferrules (more of a selut than a ferrule for the usual stag hilts though). The blades should exhibit a hardened edge (or laminated construction) upon etching which is tough to ascertain from the pics. These Karo blades got (and get?) forged well into recent times. Patina is not a reliable indicator for Batak since early tourist pieces are now way older than 100 years: as mentioned recently, there were non-traditional workshops for the curio market already in the late 19th century... Regards, Kai

7th January 2018, 08:06 PM	#2
kai Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 3,255	P.S.: I should also mention that there is a Batak double knife. However, this seems to be more of a working tool and the blades are not placed alongside (as in Chinese double weapons) but in a row so that both are visible.

9th January 2018, 12:13 AM	#3
CharlesS Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Greenville, NC Posts: 1,854	Being an old tourist piece would be a distinct possibility, but I would think that tourists would be more drawn to more blingy objects than this quite plain thing. The blades do have tempered edges, and it is best noticeable with the one that is at the bottom of the pic of the 3 pieces shown separately. I did not etch out the blade too darkly...it looked unnatural. The only thing that draws me away from the tourist theory is the wear to the scabbard and especially the silver bands. They have seen real wear and tear, especially at their edges, just as one might expect form carrying or pushing the scabbard through a belt of some sort. I suppose if the tourist piece theory is correct, better to have a 100-year-old one and a tacky modern one!!