A Good Malay Sundang With One Piece Carved Horn Hilt

[CharlesS]

Here is lovely old Malay sundang with a fairly standard blade and scabbard(though the horn ringed mouth is a nice feature).

The unique feature of this sundang is its one piece carved horn hilt. The hilt is carved from what appears to be water buffalo horn and is carved to mimic a multi-piece hilt construction. The bolster, the illusion of a segmented grip, and the pommel, are all carved from one piece.

Note the bolster leaves no room for a clamp or baca-baca, and the blade shows no evidence of ever having one, even though the blade is chiseled to accept one. Perhaps the extra strength of the horn, rather than wooden, grip made the clamp unnecessary.

I am not quite sure if this is a poor man's version of a Malay sundang hilt or something better. Regardless, a lot of work, thought and originality went into its creation!

Comments welcomed.