Kampilan with unusual Thalassic guard form

VANDOO · 14th February 2007, 05:57 PM

SPUNGER I HAVE BEEN WONDERING ABOUT THAT ONE PERHAPS YOU COULD DO A POST ON IT WITH GOOD PICTURES AND A DESCRIPTION OF MATERIALS USED AND YOUR GUESS AT AGE ECT. I HAVE NOT SEEN ONE LIKE IT AND HAVE JUST BEEN GUESSING THAT IT HAS A CARVED BONE OR IVORY HANDLE

I WOULD DEFINITELY LIKE TO GET A BETTER LOOK AS IT LOOKS LIKE A REALLY NEAT SWORD.

RICK I HAVE ONLY SEEN THE ONE CAST BRONZE GAURD I THINK IT WAS YOURS ON A OLD POST. I HAVE ONE WITH A BRASS GAURD MADE FROM A PIECE OF THICK BAR STOCK WITH A SIMPLE DESIGN CUT INTO IT.
MOST OF THE KAMPILIANS I HAVE SEEN OVER THE YEARS DID NOT HAVE A METAL GAURD AT ALL. SOME HAD HOLES WHERE ONE MIGHT HAVE BEEN OR THEY MIGHT HAVE HAD A CORD ATTACHED THERE AS IN THE EXAMPLE I POSTED ABOVE. MOST OF THE METAL GAURDS HAVE BEEN THE IRON ONES BENT INTO LOOPS BUT I HAVE SEEN A FEW WITH BRASS USED INSTEAD OF IRON.

I TEND TO THINK THAT THE METAL GAURDS CAME INTO FASHION DURING A CERTIAN PERIOD AND MAY HAVE WENT OUT OF FASHION AGAIN IN LATER TIMES. IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO BE ABLE TO FIGURE OUT THE HISTORY OF THE KAMPILIAN AS THERE HAVE SURELY BEEN QUITE A FEW CHANGES OVER TIME RIGHT UP UNTIL THE PRESENT. IN THE OLD CLASSIC POST ON THEM I HAD A PICTURE OF ONE WITH A SEA EAGLE POMMEL WHICH I WOULD GUESS TO BE WW2 OR LATER BUT A LATER EXAMPLE POSTED SOMEWHERE APPEARED TO BE A OLDER EXAMPLE. I ALSO HAD A VERY OLD ONE WITH A POMMEL SHAPED LIKE A HAND OR PALM LEAF OR SOMETHING, I SAW ONE OTHER EXAMPLE OF THAT STYLE BUT HAVE NOT SEEN ANY NEWER ONES USING THAT FORM. I ALSO WONDER IF WHALE BONE IS BEING CARVED TODAY FOR KAMPILIAN HANDLES AND FOR KERIS AS I HAVE SEEN QUITE A FEW VERY NICE HIGH END EXAMPLES IN RECENT YEARS BUT NOT BEING ABLE TO HANDLE ANY COULD NOT GUESS AGE.

Rick · 14th February 2007, 06:30 PM

Bill, possibly yours had two guards and one has gone missing.

Barry, yes whalebone is still utilised; you see newer Bali wrankas carved from it.

Ian · 14th February 2007, 06:42 PM

Bill:

I think your guard and handle have been reworked/replaced. The ensemble looks rather pristine and the carving on the handle lacks a little of the refinement and patina of older examples. From the general pattern, I would guess second half of 20th C, Maranao work from the Lake Lanao region, where many of the more recent Kampilan hilts have originated.

Ian.

14th February 2007, 05:57 PM	#1
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	SPUNGER I HAVE BEEN WONDERING ABOUT THAT ONE PERHAPS YOU COULD DO A POST ON IT WITH GOOD PICTURES AND A DESCRIPTION OF MATERIALS USED AND YOUR GUESS AT AGE ECT. I HAVE NOT SEEN ONE LIKE IT AND HAVE JUST BEEN GUESSING THAT IT HAS A CARVED BONE OR IVORY HANDLE I WOULD DEFINITELY LIKE TO GET A BETTER LOOK AS IT LOOKS LIKE A REALLY NEAT SWORD. RICK I HAVE ONLY SEEN THE ONE CAST BRONZE GAURD I THINK IT WAS YOURS ON A OLD POST. I HAVE ONE WITH A BRASS GAURD MADE FROM A PIECE OF THICK BAR STOCK WITH A SIMPLE DESIGN CUT INTO IT. MOST OF THE KAMPILIANS I HAVE SEEN OVER THE YEARS DID NOT HAVE A METAL GAURD AT ALL. SOME HAD HOLES WHERE ONE MIGHT HAVE BEEN OR THEY MIGHT HAVE HAD A CORD ATTACHED THERE AS IN THE EXAMPLE I POSTED ABOVE. MOST OF THE METAL GAURDS HAVE BEEN THE IRON ONES BENT INTO LOOPS BUT I HAVE SEEN A FEW WITH BRASS USED INSTEAD OF IRON. I TEND TO THINK THAT THE METAL GAURDS CAME INTO FASHION DURING A CERTIAN PERIOD AND MAY HAVE WENT OUT OF FASHION AGAIN IN LATER TIMES. IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO BE ABLE TO FIGURE OUT THE HISTORY OF THE KAMPILIAN AS THERE HAVE SURELY BEEN QUITE A FEW CHANGES OVER TIME RIGHT UP UNTIL THE PRESENT. IN THE OLD CLASSIC POST ON THEM I HAD A PICTURE OF ONE WITH A SEA EAGLE POMMEL WHICH I WOULD GUESS TO BE WW2 OR LATER BUT A LATER EXAMPLE POSTED SOMEWHERE APPEARED TO BE A OLDER EXAMPLE. I ALSO HAD A VERY OLD ONE WITH A POMMEL SHAPED LIKE A HAND OR PALM LEAF OR SOMETHING, I SAW ONE OTHER EXAMPLE OF THAT STYLE BUT HAVE NOT SEEN ANY NEWER ONES USING THAT FORM. I ALSO WONDER IF WHALE BONE IS BEING CARVED TODAY FOR KAMPILIAN HANDLES AND FOR KERIS AS I HAVE SEEN QUITE A FEW VERY NICE HIGH END EXAMPLES IN RECENT YEARS BUT NOT BEING ABLE TO HANDLE ANY COULD NOT GUESS AGE.

14th February 2007, 06:30 PM	#2
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,339	Bill, possibly yours had two guards and one has gone missing. Barry, yes whalebone is still utilised; you see newer Bali wrankas carved from it.

14th February 2007, 06:42 PM	#3
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,396	Bill: I think your guard and handle have been reworked/replaced. The ensemble looks rather pristine and the carving on the handle lacks a little of the refinement and patina of older examples. From the general pattern, I would guess second half of 20th C, Maranao work from the Lake Lanao region, where many of the more recent Kampilan hilts have originated. Ian.