Singhalese kastane.. Or... is it?

Ian · 7th June 2006, 01:14 PM

The tang seems to pass through the length of the handle and there is a cap at the end of the hilt. This feature and the shape of the grip look very European. I don't see anything here that would distinguish Dutch from British from French Colonial influences, although this particular dealer specializes in items from former Dutch possessions, so that seems a fair guess.

The marks on the blade do resemble some of those seen on Thai darb, but also markings seen in parts of Borneo and elsewhere in SE Asia.

The Dutch were not prominent in mainland SE Asia, so if this is a Dutch Colonial sword my guess would be it is from further east -- Indonesia or Borneo. The only Singhalese feature is the guard. We have seen similar guards on colonial swords from Indonesia (there was one on eBay recently), and there is a really tacky modern sword-like object that makes a frequent appearance on eBay and also has this style of guard in the shape of a dragon.

Ian.

7th June 2006, 01:14 PM	#11
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,363	The tang seems to pass through the length of the handle and there is a cap at the end of the hilt. This feature and the shape of the grip look very European. I don't see anything here that would distinguish Dutch from British from French Colonial influences, although this particular dealer specializes in items from former Dutch possessions, so that seems a fair guess. The marks on the blade do resemble some of those seen on Thai darb, but also markings seen in parts of Borneo and elsewhere in SE Asia. The Dutch were not prominent in mainland SE Asia, so if this is a Dutch Colonial sword my guess would be it is from further east -- Indonesia or Borneo. The only Singhalese feature is the guard. We have seen similar guards on colonial swords from Indonesia (there was one on eBay recently), and there is a really tacky modern sword-like object that makes a frequent appearance on eBay and also has this style of guard in the shape of a dragon. Ian.