[johnrwatkin]

I acquired this Lantaka when serving with the Royal Marine Commandos in Sarawak in the late 1960’s. Since then, this 38.6 kilogram lump of bronze has travelled the world with me, much to the irritation of my family!

When I bought it from a longhouse on the border between Sarawak and Indonesia, the headman assured me that it was over 200 years old! He also told me that, during the Japanese occupation of Sarawak during WW2, thousands of Lantaka were confiscated and shipped back to Japan for smelting down for the armaments industry. Many of the surviving Lantaka spent the war buried in the jungle! I understand that in recent years, exporting Lantaka from Sarawak and Brunei is prohibited.

It is a very nice bronze cannon with a 3.5 centimetre bore, is 122.5 centimetres long, and is cast with leaf and flower motifs typical of Borneo. It is in fine condition with obvious age and an excellent patina.

It has an elongated cascabel, a breech cast as an open lotus from which the barrel extends and a muzzle that flares with another petal motif. The top of the barrel is cast with a series of flower and leaf motifs. The swivel is cast with more leaf motifs.

So – any comments or thoughts? Any ideas on how old this might be? Is it a good example or just a fairly ordinary example of a Lantaka?