Gayo? sikin panjang with talismans in etched raised relief

[kai]

I'm glad you snapped this up! Indeed, the brass bolster as well as the motifs are very unusual...

I did a quick search through my archives and only came up with another Sumatran piece from Michael's collection (attached below).

1) are the seals/medallions on the blade based on the designs of coins or seals?

I believe these were meant to be talismanic rather than copying foreign seals, etc.

2) is there a particular significance to scorpions and centipedes on the blade?

Those tropical giant centipedes and (some) scorpions are highly poisionous arthropods; they are also sometimes depicted on Moro swords (inlay) and keris Jawa (kinatah).

3) can anyone tell me of other North Sumatran blades with raised designs?

Another, IMHO less likely reason, may be protection of formerly gilded designs from corrosion.

4) why does Sumatran brass (as in the collar) not seem to tarnish like European brass?

Brass is not a standardized alloy, especially historically. It seems that Indonesian brass was usually of lower zinc content and may have also included tin as well as varying amounts of "impurities" affecting malleability, casting, and corrosion/patination.

Regards,
Kai