A Dah for the Dah crew

[Gavin Nugent]

There seems to be a lot of posts with Dah of late and I am often asked to share more of mine...so here is one recently bought with the help of a fellow member.
It has some of the finest silver work I have seen in a long time, has a makers seal stamp to the base and very unusual inlay to the tip of the blade.

Gavin

[drac2k]

That's not a daa, that's a WOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!! You are indeed a very lucky man!Any chance for some close-ups ?

[Iain]

It's as nice in the hand as it looks. ;)

[CharlesS]

Just a gorgeeeeeeeeeeez piece. The sword itself is lovely, but the scabbard mounts are spectacular!

[Ian]

Gavin:

Very nice dha/daab. This one is almost certainly coming from our old friends the Husa in Yunnan, perhaps with some Shan elite silversmithing, arising from that part of the Shan territory near the junction of Burma, Yunnan, and Thailand. We have discussed Husa dha/daab here before and the stamp at forte resembles other examples of their work. Brass inlaid dots are found occasionally on other Husa blades.

Top quality example of this type of dha/daab.

Ian.

[Ian]

Another example of the same genre with extensive silver work.

Ian.

[Sajen]

Hi Gavin,

nice dha indeed and I agree what others have said already. Do you have a guess how old this beauty could be?

Regards,
Detlef

[Gavin Nugent]

Thanks gents,

In response to notes and questions

Drac2K, I will certainly provide further close ups over the coming week as time permits.

Iain, thank you. Iain has had the benefit of handling this sword. It is near perfect in form and quality and it is exceptionally fast in the hand, the size and elliptical grip certainly aids this.

Charles, exactly the reason I chased it! You will see the exacting same detail throughout every silver application.

Ian, thank you. It is one of the finer examples from the region.

Sajen, an exact age I cannot estimate. I will play safe and say circa 1900, could be older and could be up to 1930's. If the makers seal was documented and known, it would be easier.

Gavin

[Nathaniel]

Congratulations Gavin on the stellar daab. Grade A condition! The scabbard as Charles highlights really is the thing that pops out at you. Very well executed silverwork. Look at that Lotus bud pommel! Very well done! Chinese cloud motifs...it is a wonderful mix of Chinese and Tai motifs. Based on the silverwork, I'm guessing there is a chinese stamp of the silver smith on the inside mouth of the scabbard? Oh, I see you already mentioned that. Not HuSa made, Ian. It's not a HuSa makers mark...nor the motifs HuSa. Still from Yunnan or border areas. It's interesting the square tip...most I have seen have either a lotus bud tip or more pointed tip. The three inlaid brass dots too is something unique, as more commonly you see just one brass dot inlaid at the tip.

[Andrew]

Gorgeous Husa/Yunnan sword, Gavin. Thank you for sharing. :cool:

[Gavin Nugent]

Its not clear or crisp but it gives you an idea.

Gavin