Sinhala / Sri Lankan Swords?

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by Prasanna Weerakkody

Balooshi, Including two images of Sinhala Lions with floral motifs emerging from the mouth. They are not Makara; as the body clearly is of a Lion not Makara.

Salaams Weerakkody ~ Nice Lions. They are however not breathing Deities or monsters. The stuff coming from their mouths is floral.

Makara breath monsters... Nagas (snakes or serpents) and the half crocodile, half human form variously as seen at almost every Kastane hilt and related picture on this thread. These sub-monster-deity forms include the often portrayed minor Makara sliding down the knuckle guard and onto the finger-ring like quilons and in addition displaying fan tails of the peacock... The Peacock fantail is yet another Makara indicator. (see #56.)

Makara are shown on the gun lock jaws, the axe, and the Kastane.

I put it to you that your Lions are late additions and unrelated to the Kastane Hilt which is of Makara form. In later forms perhaps post 18th Century I imagine artistic impression may have blended the two heads on certain projects though I urge that what we ought to be focusing upon is the original style Kastane hilt ...The Makara.

As a note to Forum I point to http://www.caravanacollection.com/?p...=kastane-sword (look also under Collection)where the author quite neatly describes the hilt as Makara and goes further to state the similarity of the guard with Mediterranean weapons previously not seen on Far Eastern sword styles and puts a 16th C. dateline to the mixture. I tend to agree with much of that.

Thus it is with the Portuguese/ Sri Lankan combined workshops that I focus.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[Prasanna Weerakkody]

Balooshi as I have noted in one of my earlier posts, the predominant Makara form in Sinhala art of the period emanates floral rather than animal motifs from its mouth. Including a few example images for reference.

Also the issue is not about the occurrence of Makara forms in the Guards etc. but the primary figure on the pommel Which is commonly accepted as a Lion head. - I cannot recollect seeing any figures portrayed on the Pommel depicted with other figures originating from its mouth except an extended tongue. If you got references to it pl. share.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by Prasanna Weerakkody

Balooshi as I have noted in one of my earlier posts, the predominant Makara form in Sinhala art of the period emanates floral rather than animal motifs from its mouth. Including a few example images for reference.

Also the issue is not about the occurrence of Makara forms in the Guards etc. but the primary figure on the pommel Which is commonly accepted as a Lion head. - I cannot recollect seeing any figures portrayed on the Pommel depicted with other figures originating from its mouth except an extended tongue. If you got references to it pl. share.

Salaams Weerakkody, 3 out of 4 of your photos show Makara having spilled out the Kirtimukha monster (itself normally seen, as it is here, on all 3 photos, devouring other monsters) and usually displayed at the top of the archway designs.This has been dealt with in # 57.

The 4th picture which is more difficult to analyze appears as a grey looking Makara rolling out a huge long curled serpent with fiery decoration or waves or other minor monsters engraved on it though it is difficult to deduce.

The floral additions that accompany the emission of deities and monsters in your pictures are secondary to the main theme... The Makara spews up primarily monsters and deities. The floral tributes are as a secondary, less important, added design feature.

If the Lion were the source upon the Kastane Hilt the accompanying main theme on the hilt would be floral... Its not..It is deities and other monsters because the hilt is a Makara design. Any flowery aspect on the Hilt is purely supporting but secondary to the main theme.

The Hilt, The KnuckleGuard, The Quillons and The Cross Guard are of one linked style. The Makara head at the Pommel pumps the half crocodile human "face" onto the mid Knuckleguard and minor Makara onto the Knuckleguard top and base plus Makara and Nagas onto the Quillons and crossguard. The tails illustrated are peacock form. Some secondary, quite flimsy, floral work usually appears on the grip and /or extends down the throat.

Therefor i would advise against separating the pommel decoration from the rest of the Hilt. The theme is the same ... Makara.

Best example ~See # 56.

Makara not Lion.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Note; see http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...hlight=kastane for an unusual Knuckleguard with what appears to be a serpent(Naga) sliding up the Knuckleguard; in gold.

[fernando]

Dr. Jorge Caravana, a medical surgeon, started collecting antique arms & armour by 1998 and in 2009 he organized an exhibition in the Portuguese city of Évora. An actractive catalogue was then published, composed by the collection and vast texts covering the places touched by the Portuguese, namely an introduction by historian Rui Manuel Loureiro and thematic material like an article on Indian Weaponry Goldsmiths by Nuno Vassalo e Silva, another on Persian swordmakers by Manouchehr Khorasani and even another on Islamic Arms and Armour by Robert Elgood. Eventualy i have acquired one copy and, having posted its reference in the forum, i was required by several members to send them a copy.
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...light=caravana.
The collection is composed of Oriental items associated with the Portuguese expansion during the discoveries period, a theme adviced by Collector/Historian Rainer Daehnhardt, from whim he acquired his first examples in 1998.
In the case of Ceylon, not much data is referenced and only four examples are present in the collection, being one of them an XVIII century Kastane. The description of this example includes, besides its visual details, the interpretation of its origin as a weapon, not a scholar assumption by Dr. Caravana but one more based on the classics that are published out there, which he promptly mentions below the sword support text; among others, Cameron Stone, from whom apparently he brought the pommel 'monster's head' idea and, from another (Czerny's, Rickets ?), the version of the Kastane origin being connected with European contacts in the XVI century, a presumption rather more doubtful than being an earlier sword, later suffering European (Portuguese) influences. I don't think that Dr. Caravana's third party quotations are more accountable than just that: quotations ... not personal qualified evidence.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by fernando

Dr. Jorge Caravana, a medical surgeon, started collecting antique arms & armour by 1998 and in 2009 he organized an exhibition in the Portuguese city of Évora. An actractive catalogue was then published, composed by the collection and vast texts covering the places touched by the Portuguese, namely an introduction by historian Rui Manuel Loureiro and thematic material like an article on Indian Weaponry Goldsmiths by Nuno Vassalo e Silva, another on Persian swordmakers by Manouchehr Khorasani and even another on Islamic Arms and Armour by Robert Elgood. Eventualy i have acquired one copy and, having posted its reference in the forum, i was required by several members to send them a copy.
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...light=caravana.
The collection is composed of Oriental items associated with the Portuguese expansion during the discoveries period, a theme adviced by Collector/Historian Rainer Daehnhardt, from whim he acquired his first examples in 1998.
In the case of Ceylon, not much data is referenced and only four examples are present in the collection, being one of them an XVIII century Kastane. The description of this example includes, besides its visual details, the interpretation of its origin as a weapon, not a scholar assumption by Dr. Caravana but one more based on the classics that are published out there, which he promptly mentions below the sword support text; among others, Cameron Stone, from whom apparently he brought the pommel 'monster's head' idea and, from another (Czerny's, Rickets ?), the version of the Kastane origin being connected with European contacts in the XVI century, a presumption rather more doubtful than being an earlier sword, later suffering European (Portuguese) influences. I don't think that Dr. Caravana's third party quotations are more accountable than just that: quotations ... not personal qualified evidence.

Salaams fernando ~Excellent input. The book detail is superb.and your pictures of the gun lock and supporting Kastane photographs have been an inspiration.
Is there any documentation which can be extracted from the publication you mention which may be logged here in the interests of research? This could indeed be supporting evidence on the theory that the Kastane was a Portuguese-Sri Lankan designed sword probably 16th Century with, it seems, a Mediterranean hilt style co-staring with a Makara pommel and incorporating other deitys and monsters on the Knuckle Guard and Quillons etc.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[fernando]

Hi Prasanna
I (re) found something very interesting; wonder if you were already aware of this.
Sebastião Rodolfo Dalgado, a specialist who has previously published a work in Indo-Portuguese Dialect of Celyon, has published in 1919-1921 the Glossario Luso-Asiatico.

BOOK

In page 178 you can read the following, which i (sort of ) translated:

.