Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

PUFF · 24th March 2006, 02:57 AM

It 's quite difficult to pinpoint or even estimate age for SEA blades because of huge gap between city an rural area. Due to bad logistic, most of westernized stuff are concentrated in the city. The oldest rail tract 's only 100 yo (and our subway is only 3 yo

) When Ayuthaya people using firearms in their army, Lanna people rarely see them. And when city craftmen using modern lacquere for years, people in the rural area still using black resin. As you may notice from several <50 yo blades. While Aranyik craftmen choose rounded hardwood for their hilt. Lampang craftment still using rattan rope but modern clear lacquere is often used as coat material. While some other rural area still using "Rak" or black resin for coating material. And in modern day (says 20 years), "Rak" 's rarely produced since all furniture factory choose modern cheaper wood vanish. That make "Rak" 's being expensive and used only for antique restoration or custom made stuff.
Regarding to the pommels, which are often associated with better made blades, uncarved handle. Those are in Ayuthaya period are likely to be appear in lotus figure. And later, when Rattanakosin people deveopted another style of art (finer and more detailed). The Buttons are evolved to be "less" lotus such as onion or pumpkin with many lobes or even clear conical thing.

I will try my best to your "fill in the blank" test.

Not very precise, though.

"This one was made between Mid- and Late Rattanakosin, because that is when the button pommel was used," or "Black lacquer was used on handles starting around old day (early Ayuthaya, I guessed), then fell out of popularity by about Late Rattanakosin."

24th March 2006, 02:57 AM	#11
PUFF Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: 30 miles north of Bangkok, 20 miles south of Ayuthaya, Thailand Posts: 224	It 's quite difficult to pinpoint or even estimate age for SEA blades because of huge gap between city an rural area. Due to bad logistic, most of westernized stuff are concentrated in the city. The oldest rail tract 's only 100 yo (and our subway is only 3 yo ) When Ayuthaya people using firearms in their army, Lanna people rarely see them. And when city craftmen using modern lacquere for years, people in the rural area still using black resin. As you may notice from several <50 yo blades. While Aranyik craftmen choose rounded hardwood for their hilt. Lampang craftment still using rattan rope but modern clear lacquere is often used as coat material. While some other rural area still using "Rak" or black resin for coating material. And in modern day (says 20 years), "Rak" 's rarely produced since all furniture factory choose modern cheaper wood vanish. That make "Rak" 's being expensive and used only for antique restoration or custom made stuff. Regarding to the pommels, which are often associated with better made blades, uncarved handle. Those are in Ayuthaya period are likely to be appear in lotus figure. And later, when Rattanakosin people deveopted another style of art (finer and more detailed). The Buttons are evolved to be "less" lotus such as onion or pumpkin with many lobes or even clear conical thing. I will try my best to your "fill in the blank" test. Not very precise, though. "This one was made between Mid- and Late Rattanakosin, because that is when the button pommel was used," or "Black lacquer was used on handles starting around old day (early Ayuthaya, I guessed), then fell out of popularity by about Late Rattanakosin."