Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

Ian · 3rd February 2017, 08:41 PM

The swords shown by VANDOO in posts #17, 18 display a recent style of Moro work coming from the Lake Lanao (Maranao) region of Mindanao. This highly curved, almost "rococo," decoration started to appear on the market in the 1990s (as best I can determine) and a number of Filipino dealers point to a handful of Moro craftsmen in the Lake Lanao region as producing them. The finish is good on the wood elements (probably made from kumagong,which is a very hard wood) and for that reason I think they are interesting and collectable. The blades, however, are fairly ordinary and almost always mono-steel. Similar fittings can also be found on recently made kris and barung.

Ian.

3rd February 2017, 08:41 PM	#32
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,041	The swords shown by VANDOO in posts #17, 18 display a recent style of Moro work coming from the Lake Lanao (Maranao) region of Mindanao. This highly curved, almost "rococo," decoration started to appear on the market in the 1990s (as best I can determine) and a number of Filipino dealers point to a handful of Moro craftsmen in the Lake Lanao region as producing them. The finish is good on the wood elements (probably made from kumagong,which is a very hard wood) and for that reason I think they are interesting and collectable. The blades, however, are fairly ordinary and almost always mono-steel. Similar fittings can also be found on recently made kris and barung. Ian.