Lew Waldman's Ethnographic Arms & Armour Collection Archive


138 - Philippine Barong (Barung) with Laminated Steel Blade & Wood Mounts with a Silver Ferrule

A very nice example of a Moro barong; this type being associated with the region of the Sulu Sultanate. This example has a simple, though very well executed wooden hilt that shows only a few narrow cracks and a small chip near the pommel end of the non-display face. A nice silver ferrule complements the hilt. The leaf shaped blade is 16½ inches in length by just over 2½ in width and has a maximum thickness of just under ¼ inch. The blade appears to have been gently etched so that evidence of a layered steel may be seen. The dark wooden scabbard is well carved near the mouth and tip and is bound with rattan adjacent to the carved areas. Unfortunately, a defect is present with full thickness loss of the wood along the spine (fortunately this affects the back of the top and not the display face). Lew dated this example to circa 1900. Overall length is just over 24 inches with a weight of 34 ounces.




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