Interesting Barong for Comment.

kai · 9th January 2019, 09:58 PM

Hello Ron,

Quote:

i have the privilege of handling this before the auction. nothing in this particular barung says that it was a later piece; it's just that it was well taken cared off. i don't think the pommel was a later replacement either.

Thanks for your observations! Did you note wear commensurate with estimated age?

Quote:

as far as the brass rings; it's not a common method but i noticed these are more prevalent on wood junggayans similar to this. here is another example with brass/silver ferrule on a wooded junggayan.

Very nice grouping! And that scabbard looks much more convincing!

Any feelings about inlay that got just glued? Appears to be quite common - however, any tendencies/trends?

Regards,
Kai

drac2k · 9th January 2019, 11:12 PM

Once again gentlemen, thanks for all of the valuable input!
Kai, I cleaned the pommel with an oil solution; I rubbed the surface with a clean cloth and the polish. I am wondering as to what you think of as being an uneven surface on the side and top of the pommel; it is in fact the grain of the wood.
Spunjer, first, you have some great pieces! Secondly, I know what you mean; I sat through the auction for hours(at home), totally frustrated, unable to get anything, either being the underbidder or getting totally blown away price-wise. The only reason why I think I got this was that it was at the end of the auction and everyone else either went home, ran out of money or fell asleep!
The pictures weren't very good. Did you see the panabas and was it as nice as it looked?

Spunjer · 10th January 2019, 10:25 PM

Kai,
quite frankly, i didn't paid that much attention at the inlays; i was more enamored with the naga on the blade. overall, i thought it was pretty consistent with barungs during the first quarter of the 20th century
drac2k,
thanks! unfortunately, a few of those are no longer a part of my collection.
as far as the barung, i really thought i won that, haha. only after i got my summary did i found out i didn't.
the panabas was another piece i had my sight on. it was a beauty! again, the main reason why i wanted the panabas was because of the naga on the blade. and yes, unfortunately it went too rich for my blood, lol

drac2k · 11th January 2019, 04:11 AM

There were so many items at that auction that I thought I might get and was unable to and this one I didn't think I had a chance and I got it. I have had the same experience that you have had several times in regards to having the high bid when the auction has ended, been shown as the winner, only to refresh the screen, to see that it has been awarded to a lower bidder. It was the only item that I got.

kai · 11th January 2019, 06:50 PM

Hello Ron,

Quote:

i didn't paid that much attention at the inlays; i was more enamored with the naga on the blade. overall, i thought it was pretty consistent with barungs during the first quarter of the 20th century

Drac's blade is tough to read from pics. However, I thought about it probably being 19th c. and the scabbard + hilt restoration possibly being pre-WW2, or so.

I'm pretty sure the barung hilt I showed in post #7 is 19th c. (as mentioned above, I believe this hilt style might have been the first to receive MOP inlays already during the 19th c.). The pommel was crafted from high quality banati wood (with much later repairs).

Regards,
Kai

kai · 11th January 2019, 08:27 PM

Hello Drac,

Quote:

I cleaned the pommel with an oil solution; I rubbed the surface with a clean cloth and the polish. I am wondering as to what you think of as being an uneven surface on the side and top of the pommel

The striped appearance is fine - may not have been the most traditional preference for selecting wood though (if kamagong was used, it usually was only the darkest pieces while banati was usually selected for its chatoyance and burl).

I've marked the apparently weird looking surfaces in the pics in red (chipped areas in green). It may only be a lighting issue though.

Regards,
Kai

Spunjer · 11th January 2019, 10:54 PM

i'm still not following what you're referring to, Kai. so are you saying that the handle and scabbard are not original with the blade?

Kino, brah, Jolibee is fine dining lol. whatchu talking about?

drac2k: yeah, the bidding process was buggy, although i was lucky to snag a few of what i wanted. the barung, especially. talk about that, i was surprised a similar barung went for 2k!

drac2k · 12th January 2019, 03:57 AM

Kai,
On the red circles, it is lighting, but on the green circle, there is a chip and a piece about 1/16" split off and that is why you cannot see the scroll work. Great eyes, I missed that one myself.

kai · 12th January 2019, 06:13 PM

Hello Drac,

Quote:

On the red circles, it is lighting

Great, that eases things. In real life, I'd check the surfaces under magnification; higher magnification can even reveal tool marks, etc.

Regards,
Kai

kai · 12th January 2019, 06:33 PM

Hello Ron,

Quote:

i'm still not following what you're referring to, Kai. so are you saying that the handle and scabbard are not original with the blade?

Yup, that's my hunch: This blade may very well be 19th c. (can't judge wear, profile, etc. from pics to support this); the long ferrule (possibly the additional silver bands) and the wooden base of the grip area probably, too.

The pommel still gives me weird vibes, especially from the craftsmanship (as perceived from the pics) like the carved ukkil and fit of the inlay.

With a status barung I'd expect good quality narra wood for the scabbard; even if the wood choice got influenced by a limited budget, the carving does seem more like 20th c. to me.

Regards,
Kai

Spunjer · 12th January 2019, 08:12 PM

ok, i see what you're saying.

i should've looked more closely on this particular piece i reckon. but like i said, i saw the inlay on the blade and that's all it took. i guess at that point, a cursory look at the overall status of the sword and checked for looseness, and everything checked out. meaning it went straight to my want list. not to say it changed my perception. glad to know it went to someone from this forum.
Drac2k, are you bringing that to Baltimore?

drac2k · 12th January 2019, 09:34 PM

The Barong is going into the collection and it will be hibernating there for many years(hopefully), with a barong that has a similar centipede blade design.
Hope to see you in Baltimore!

9th January 2019, 11:12 PM	#2
drac2k Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 1,281	Once again gentlemen, thanks for all of the valuable input! Kai, I cleaned the pommel with an oil solution; I rubbed the surface with a clean cloth and the polish. I am wondering as to what you think of as being an uneven surface on the side and top of the pommel; it is in fact the grain of the wood. Spunjer, first, you have some great pieces! Secondly, I know what you mean; I sat through the auction for hours(at home), totally frustrated, unable to get anything, either being the underbidder or getting totally blown away price-wise. The only reason why I think I got this was that it was at the end of the auction and everyone else either went home, ran out of money or fell asleep! The pictures weren't very good. Did you see the panabas and was it as nice as it looked?

10th January 2019, 10:25 PM	#3
Spunjer Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Witness Protection Program Posts: 1,730	Kai, quite frankly, i didn't paid that much attention at the inlays; i was more enamored with the naga on the blade. overall, i thought it was pretty consistent with barungs during the first quarter of the 20th century drac2k, thanks! unfortunately, a few of those are no longer a part of my collection. as far as the barung, i really thought i won that, haha. only after i got my summary did i found out i didn't. the panabas was another piece i had my sight on. it was a beauty! again, the main reason why i wanted the panabas was because of the naga on the blade. and yes, unfortunately it went too rich for my blood, lol

11th January 2019, 04:11 AM	#4
drac2k Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 1,281	There were so many items at that auction that I thought I might get and was unable to and this one I didn't think I had a chance and I got it. I have had the same experience that you have had several times in regards to having the high bid when the auction has ended, been shown as the winner, only to refresh the screen, to see that it has been awarded to a lower bidder. It was the only item that I got.

11th January 2019, 10:54 PM	#7
Spunjer Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Witness Protection Program Posts: 1,730	i'm still not following what you're referring to, Kai. so are you saying that the handle and scabbard are not original with the blade? Kino, brah, Jolibee is fine dining lol. whatchu talking about? drac2k: yeah, the bidding process was buggy, although i was lucky to snag a few of what i wanted. the barung, especially. talk about that, i was surprised a similar barung went for 2k!

12th January 2019, 03:57 AM	#8
drac2k Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 1,281	Kai, On the red circles, it is lighting, but on the green circle, there is a chip and a piece about 1/16" split off and that is why you cannot see the scroll work. Great eyes, I missed that one myself.

12th January 2019, 08:12 PM	#11
Spunjer Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Witness Protection Program Posts: 1,730	ok, i see what you're saying. i should've looked more closely on this particular piece i reckon. but like i said, i saw the inlay on the blade and that's all it took. i guess at that point, a cursory look at the overall status of the sword and checked for looseness, and everything checked out. meaning it went straight to my want list. not to say it changed my perception. glad to know it went to someone from this forum. Drac2k, are you bringing that to Baltimore?

12th January 2019, 09:34 PM	#12
drac2k Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 1,281	The Barong is going into the collection and it will be hibernating there for many years(hopefully), with a barong that has a similar centipede blade design. Hope to see you in Baltimore!