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Originally Posted by asomotif
Nice balato imo. I like the bold design of the handle.
The patina looks alright too.
The picture of the scabbard is a bit difficult to judge due to the reflection on the brass.
But if I imagine it without the reflection the scabbard looks ok.
Age is difficult. But I have the feeling that the south Nias style is less present in the post WW2 production.
I would not be surprised is this one dates to the first half of 20th century.
As for the headhunting time. Both you and Detlef mention it,
But what year are you thinking of ? When did it end on Nias ?
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Hello Willem,
like you said byself, age is a difficult thing, also when not from the headhuntig time, I've seen and handled balatos which show clearly patination, so it's my best guess that wearing and using, for what ever, balatos don't get thrown on the trash after end of headhunting time. When it is a traditional carved and fitted balato and not worked for trade only there is no reason don't call it a good balato.
I think to remember that I've read somewhere that the headhunting time ended in the early 20th century.
An early collected balato may lack patination, a much later collected example can show much more patination, so age guess is a very difficult thing.
Regards,
Detlef