Thanks, Ray, that is a very elegant blade as far as non-archaic pieces are concerned!
I'd guess this dates back to the mid-19th century. Also twistcore is rare with diamond cross-sections. Could you add dimensions, please?
Do you have pics of the original configuration even if damaged?
I'm afraid that I don't see much semblance of the crosspiece carving with the Filipino style shown; especially the mediterranean Acanthus motif seems to be missing. I'd rather posit that there seem to be Melayu ties: While most Malay motifs represent flowers with radial symmetry, a few may be shown in profile; also the vegetal/vine motif seems to be closer IMHO. For example, fairly similar flowers are shown in "Spirit of Wood" on pages 86-87 (top figure).
If not traditional Moro/Sulu ukkil, maybe more recent influence via Brunei?
Regards,
Kai
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