A Nice Gunong to Share

[Spunjer]

my pleasure to share this beauty. one of the most magnificent gunong i've ever laid my eyes on. the blade is heavier than usual, and the shape is somewhat different. it has a fuller, something i've never seen before on a gunong. ricasso is fairly thick, measuring at almost a quarter of an inch. total length of the blade is 6 inches.
the pommel is ivory, the slender type. looks like this has been displayed since one side is darker than the other. the ferrule is well executed: there are two rings, both tested 14k gold or better. as far as the middle part, i'm not quite sure if it's swaasa or copper, since i don't feel comfortable filing any part of it to get a sample for gold testing. the band right below the bottom ring is gold as well. the crossguard is brass. not sure why the craftsman stop at this, lol.
the scabbard is wood encased with silver, made into a hexagonal pattern. the odd thing is the belt loop, which is placed on the opposite side. yes, i've tried putting the blade the other way around, and no, it won't fit. for a left hander perhaps?
it looks to be of Maranao origin, based on the okir on the belt loop. overall length is 10 1/4", in scabbard. this piece definitely earned her place with the royal set .
enjoy!

[David]

Wow, that's a sweet one for sure. I think i would have to agree that it is one of the nicest i've seen as well.

[Rick]

Dee Luxe !!

[russel]

Simply stunning!

[manteris1]

......Very nice............jimmy

[DaveA]

The blade itself is remarkable. This is a serious weapon! The thickness seems very unusual. Has anyone else seen a gunong with as robust a blade as this one?

Oh yes, the rest of the knife is … simply gorgeous.

[Sajen]

Hi Ron,

send it to me! Congrats, very nice gunong, a real beauty! Never seen a blade with a fuller like this by a gunong.

Regards,
Detlef

[CharlesS]

Exceptional!! ....not your average gunong. You better not let Steve F. see it!

[kino]

Super nice.
Etch it and let us that pattern pop out.

[Maurice]

Super beautifull piece Ron!

Congratulations!!!

[Ian]

Very, very nice Ron. Congratulations. Do you plan to etch that blade--looks like it has quite a lot of pattern to it.

Ian

[RSWORD]

Given the thickness of the blade at the handle and the way the fullers are oriented along with the tip and I wonder if this isn't a reshaped blade from another weapon? Lovely mounts and the etching could be revealing whether it was forged this way or cut down from something else.

[Spunjer]

thanks all! i tried the hot water test and it didn't show any lamination. will try the vinegar next time.
as far as the blade, i attached some more pics of a comparison with a similar type. notice that the original gunong posted is much thicker. the overall design looks as if it has some western influence as well.

[David]

Well damn, don't those make a nice pair!

[Rick]

Well, Ron the thicker of the two blades shows some forging flaws; they may be indicative of something going on in that blade .

[Battara]

Fricken, bricked beautiful!

Looks like gold and swassa too.........

[Spunjer]

Originally Posted by David

Well damn, don't those make a nice pair!

ooh, actually these two are the pair. the blades are almost the same size, but the other one doesn't have the fuller, although notice the similarity of the ricasso. not as thick, but close. the original one is beefier.
Jose, yes, it's gold, 14 k or better using nitric acid to test. as far as swaasa, it's most likely but i'm worried about testing it since there's no way to file it without leaving a mark.

[Spunjer]

regarding the second piece:
scabbard is silver as well, but in an oval fashion, the ukkil decoration on top and bottom are actually glued on the scabbard, with the top on being pretty loose, so i took off and tested, which turned out to be swaasa. meanwhile the rings accentuating the ukkil decoration are gold as well.
ferrule is 14k gold and crosspiece is low grade silver...

[Spunjer]

the third piece has an unusual take on its scabbard. heck, i just noticed it today, lol. the part that's facing out (same side as the belt loop), is made out of carabao horn, while the other side is narra wood. not that it's outstanding now, but i can just imagine this piece when it was newly made. the black carabao horn bordered by silver throat and toe would have been stunning! that, with silver crosspiece, red swaasa ferrule, and white ivory pommel would've stood out pretty good. btw, the crosspiece is made from a coin. you could vaguely see the roman letter "L" on one of the tips.

[Spunjer]

i tried etching the blades, and gunong number two is the only one that i think is laminated. it does have a hardened edge for sure. meanwhile the other two appears to be mono steel. here's the three of them for comparison.

[David]

Now you're just hurtin' me bro...

[Robert]

Absolutely amazing pieces Spunjer. I can't wait to see what is next.

Best,
Robert

[Sajen]

I only can second Roberts comment! Beautiful gunongs!

[VANDOO]

WOW! THIS TAKES GUNONGS TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL .
I TOO WAS THINKING ALONG THE LINES OF THE BLADE BEING MADE FROM A LARGER BLADE CUT DOWN PERHAPS A CUSTOM ORDER. THE OTHER POSSIBILITY IS A SHOP PRODUCING HIGH END WEAPONS USING CUT DOWN BLADES AND EXPENSIVE FITTINGS TO SELL TO THE DEMAND OF RICH CLIENTS. THE SPANISH COME TO MIND AS THEY HAD WEALTHY OFFICERS AND FLASHY WEAPONS AND UNIFORMS APPEALED TO THEM. NO DOUBT WEALTHY PHILIPPINOS OF THE TIME WOULD HAVE LIKED THEM AS WELL. CONGRADULATIONS ON SOME REAL BEAUTIES.

[Battara]

Well Bro, you have some of the nicest gunongs I have ever seen.

Don't let "Tito Gunong" see these!

[Spunjer]

Thanks!
i might as well make this my gunong thread, lol.
up next is a curious gunong. the handle is ivory, with silver ferrule. scabbard is wood and brass, from the way it looks. didn't want to disturb this one, so i left it as it is.. what's unusual is once i took it off the scabbard, the first thing that came to my mind was, "this ain't no gunong; it's a freakin' butter knife!"
as i was cleaning the blade, something interesting came out of it. first, the lamination pattern which is an unusual pattern for a gunong. and then the silver disc appeared. the disc is more like a plug, since it goes all the way through. my conclusion? the blade was more likely a tip of a sword (most likely a kris) abbreviated to this. pretty neat!
another thing is a piece of info that was taped on the scabbard. it says,"PRESENTED BY THE SULTAN OF DITSAN TO C.M.T., DALAMA, MINDANAO, 1913."
so here's a provenance. if that piece of information is to be believed,what we have here is a dated gunong (1913). not quite the 19th century that was inquired on a previous post, but close.
anyway as far as the provenance: yes, it's possible that it could have been added by anyone, but to pick a particular royal house is interesting (out of 15 or 16 Royal Houses). actually, it's suppose to be the Sultan of Ditsaan (from the principality of Bayabao). as far as who C.M.T. was, well, that's anyone's guess (Certified Massage Therapist? )...

[Battara]

Well it is possible that it was made earlier and given later by that sultan.

Great that it has this provenance!

Interesting that the tip is blunt the way it is.........

[Sajen]

Another great and especially unusual gunong. And great to have it with this provenance!

Regards,
Detlef

[Spunjer]

thanks, Detlef!

Originally Posted by Battara

Well it is possible that it was made earlier and given later by that sultan.

Great that it has this provenance!

Interesting that the tip is blunt the way it is.........

very possible, jose, in that this was made earlier. it's pretty safe to assume then that gunongs were around at the turn of the century. here are two gunongs that were brought over by Webb Hayes in 1900 (given by Datu Piang)

[Ferguson]

Spunjer, those are some very beautiful pieces! I love the octagonal (?) scabbard. I've never seen one of those. The hilts are beautiful as well. Thanks for sharing!
Steve