Sikin hilt - identify?
 

Hello,

I recently acquired a sword whose blade is consistent with a sikin identification. However, the hilt does not match the strong implication in VZ's book that a sikin hilt is invariably forked. Nor does this hilt match what I know of the "horse-hoof" type hilts that are sometimes found on other swords from Sumatra, but I readily admit my limited expertise on that subject and this leads me to the query in this post.

See photo attached. The hilt is 4 1/2 inches long and about 1 1/2 inches high with an oval cross section, slightly flattened on the sides and increasing in size towards the down turned pommel as you can see in the photo. The pommel itself is nearly flat, with no decoration.

Any ideas what kind of hilt this is? Is it reasonable to think it could be found on a sikin?

I promise to post pictures of the whole sword once I remove a bit more rust and get it cleaned up.

Best Regards,

Dave A.

One potential explanation for the discrepancy is that the handle is a later replacement.

I agree with Ariel. The whole thing is much later to the blade, including the bolster, or ferrule.

Yes, a later replacement.

The floral decoration on the ferrule is not Atjeh, nor is the hilt.
It looks also oversized. a picture of the complete weapon will give a better view on the size.

Best regards,
Willem

Agree with the others, it's a replacement hilt. When the blade is good I would look for a matching hilt.

Regards,
Detlef

More pictures
 

Thank you all for your comments.

Here are a few more pictures. This is the weapon as received, before cleaning.

The overall length is 27 inches. The blade is 22 inches long measured along the spine. The blade width is 1 ½ inches. In the final 1 ¼ inch of the blade, the edge curves up in a quarter circle radius to the tip. The blade features a single wide fuller on both sides in the first 15 inches from the forte along the top edge. The blade is ⅜ inch thick at forte, tapering distally to point. The hilt is 4 ½ inches long and made of hardwood. Hilt is oval cross-section, increasing in size and turning slowly downward to pommel. It somewhat resembles the kind of hilt you might find on a sewar, but not a sikin.

Willem, I would be grateful for a link to a good example of Atjeh floral decoration.

Best Regards,

Dave A.

Possibly Nias hilt
 

Here is a close-up of the hilt on a sword currently on auction. It is identified as originating from Nias. The shape is a close match to the hilt on my sikin although this one is more clearly a horse-hoof style.

- Dave A.

In my opinion definitely recent replacements.