As well observed by everyone here already, this is most clearly a dress item which is of course likely for a naval officer as shown by the fouled anchor on the blade. These kinds of items were sometimes diplomatically oriented as the trade and other relations with Dutch and British were notable in Ceylon and these regions through the 19th century (of course these historically were from earlier centuries) and into 20th.
As Ariel has well noted, while we focus typically on the obviously combative qualities of weapons, often these kinds of pieces are fascinating for their artistic merits. The artisans of Sri Lanka (Ceylon) were always celebrated for the beautiful weaponry they produced that were important accoutrements for the royal figures and officials there.
The kastane itself, the sword this is based on, was a court or official dress sword rather than a combat weapon, though it was typically mounted with Dutch or British hanger blades.
|