Identification Help Needed

[Sajen]

Hello Robert,

uups, you did it again! Now I know who bid me out! Don't worry, I know it now in good hands. When I would have win it this thread will be from me since I also don't know what it is but think that it is a Visayan utilty knife when I look to the scabbard. Let us see what others will tell us.
BTW, very nice and interesting knife!

Best regards,

Detlef

[Sajen]

Look for example the scabbard from my tenegre, very similar brass attachments.

[Robert]

Hello Dom, and thank you for your kind words. To say the least the description is very misleading. I too believe that this is from South-East Asia, possibly the Philippines.
Detlef, I am sorry if I out bid you on this but because of the way epray is hiding the bidders identity I did not know that you were bidding on it. I use a bidding service and placed a bid on this when it was first listed and do not check back until the auction is over. This keeps me from getting caught up in the bidding and possibly bidding more than I want or can afford on an item.
What caught my eye on this piece is that it looks to be sharpened on the longer of the two sides of the blade and the strange carving of the hilt. The horn itself on this piece also looks a bit odd. While the scabbard does look like it might be from the Visayans I believe that I have also seen scabbards of this style on Thai pieces. I too am waiting to see what the experts have to say about this interesting knife. I am adding a couple of somewhat clearer pictures of the hilt that will hopefully help show the carving and the graining of the horn better. Thank you both for your help and interest.

Regards,
Robert

[Rick]

Interesting to see an elephant depicted on a Philippine knife if that is where it came from .

[Tim Simmons]

Good point Rick. The scabbard is like many from Burma. There be elephants?

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by Rick

Interesting to see an elephant depicted on a Philippine knife if that is where it came from .

Hello Rick,

I am not sure if it should be an elepfant. The seller write in his description ram head, a good imagination IMHO.

Tim,

yes there are elephants in Burma. That it could come from there is an option.

Regards,

Detlef

[Robert]

Hello Detlef, Like Rick I am pretty sure that this is supposed to represent an elephants head with the trunk and the short tusk shown quite clearly. The small ears would be an Asian elephant if memory serves me correctly. How the seller could see a rams head in this carving is beyond me.


Regards,
Robert

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by Robert Coleman

Hello Detlef, Like Rick I am pretty sure that this is supposed to represent an elephants head with the trunk and the short tusk shown quite clearly. The small ears would be an Asian elephant if memory serves me correctly. How the seller could see a rams head in this carving is beyond me.


Regards,
Robert

Hello Robert,

have to agree, I have seen in the tusks the mouth of the figure. So is Tim maybe correct, Thailand, Burma seems a very good point.

Hope that someone will be able to tell us more.

Regards,

Detlef

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by Robert Coleman

What caught my eye on this piece is that it looks to be sharpened on the longer of the two sides of the blade and the strange carving of the hilt.

The blade shape remember to the sangi knifes from the Bagobo, see in up from the attached picture.

[Robert]

I know that I have seen this blade profile before but as usual I cannot remember where. The hilt on the other hand with the elephant head carving is something for me all together new. The hilt material is also got me a little confused, where on carabao horn you can usually see layering this has more of a stacked rod appearance to it to my eye. What are everyones thoughts on that?


Regards,
Robert