The (unintentional) artistry of edged weapons

[Ian]

People of great artistic temperament can find beauty in even the most mundane objects. I'm not a person of artistic temperament, but there is one edged weapon that strikes me as having a fantastic artistic form. I am a great fan of the Moro barung as an object of art, especially those created before 1900 and made of humble steel, wood, and silver.

Here is one such example that I find aesthetically pleasing:

It is a well preserved sword from the mid-19th C that, for me, shows gracefulness in its various curves. The arched spine of the blade, offset by its belly and curved edge. The slender grip covered in a plain silver punto and capped with the smooth curves of an old style of kakatua pommel. Simple and elegant, but balanced overall, and an ensemble that is most pleasing to the eye.

Beauty does not necessarily mean a lot of bells and whistles, nor exotic or expensive materials. Even simple, highly functional, "plain" weapons can display great skill in their aesthetic design.

What are your favorite weapons as works of art?


A few more pics of this barung:

[Jim McDougall]

What a fascinating topic Ian! and the example you show is remarkably perfect as an example of how a relatively simple weapon form is indeed quite beautiful aesthetically.
It is interesting that collectors are attracted to certain forms of weapon with their focus on the artistic beauty of forms as far as decoration, styling, materials used etc. while others follow other courses of attraction.

For me, as an arms historian, my attraction is more to the darkened, often deeply patinated examples of forms left untouched. However, I will admit certain weapon forms are more appealing from certain character, such as old cutlasses, cavalry sabers etc.

There are the specialized forms such as the keris, a formidable subject area, and the incredible artistic value of not only the blades, but the hiltwork.

I look forward to examples showing the many weapon forms in their artistic perspectives!

[mariusgmioc]

Talking about the elegance of curves...

[Ian]

Originally Posted by mariusgmioc

Talking about the elegance of curves...

Indeed! Beautiful design and craftsmanship. Thank you Marius.

[Ian]

Jim, thank you for your comment about the darkened old warrior that has survived numerous adventures and can tell us many tales of victory and defeat. The scrapes and nicks of a hard life express their own artistic forms and testify to the nature and experiences of the instrument before us. Thanks Jim.

[Changdao]

Great idea for a thread!

I find Fang ntsakh swords extremely aesthetically pleasing.


There is something about their shape and proportions that is very attractive

These two examples are from Ethan Rider's site

[Ian]

Chaqngdao, thank you. Simple designs and well executed craftsmanship. Reminds me of art deco work, with a mix of art and powerful function.

[Rafngard]

Hello all,

Four of my favorite, 2 old, and 2 modern.

1) an old Bugis Keris
(OK, maybe "simple" isn't the right term here)

2) an old Somali billaawe

3) a modern Waray Binalhag, made by Gilbert Ingrato in St. Rita, Samar
(Gilbert is a really nice guy btw, I met him at his home last year and bought this from him)

4) a modern Pira, from Zamboanga, by Mang Ruben

Enjoy!
Leif

[werecow]

I love the full breadth and diversity of swords. But I never tire of the classics... cross hilted European medieval arming swords and longswords will always appeal to something deep inside me. Especially the broad bladed ones like this Alexandria example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJypHnsEn8o

I seem to have a special love for the type XVIIIs.



Simple but perfect. Although a good old fashioned type XIV also does the trick just fine.

Also, for me the curvature of the pala kilij has always had a strong appeal, especially the ones with a "pala belly" that bows out ever so slightly before curving backwards like my example below or this one. I also really like that T section somehow.




I also really love the profile of the Aceh peudeung




and I am still looking for my perfect type 2 schiavona, as close as I can get to this one below:



EDIT: Oh and also this swept hilt rapier. Somebody stop me or we'll be here all week.

[Lee]

I enjoyed the video, thank you Werecow. I did have an opportunity to hold that (Bashford Dean) Alexandria Arsenal sword several years ago. I neither swung or flexed it though.

Another Alexandria Arsenal marked sword of a different style showing a lot of wear and rehoning at the tip, but the beauty of its form still shines through:

[Ian]

The European classics are indeed inspiring. The excellent symmetry of those medieval swords, contrasting wth the curved single-edged weapons coming later. And the highly worked forms of the keris, emphasizing complexity and mystery.

Keep them coming guys!

[Rafngard]

Originally Posted by Ian

The European classics are indeed inspiring. The excellent symmetry of those medieval swords, contrasting with the curved single-edged weapons coming later. And the highly worked forms of the keris, emphasizing complexity and mystery.

Keep them coming guys!

Ian,

I appreciate your contrasting Medieval European swords with Keris. A well-executed Jawa demam hilt is asymmetrical on every axis, and yet fits perfectly in the hand.
It's one of my favorite things.

Thanks,
Leif

[Sajen]

Here are a few from my own collection which come to my mind!