Moro Kris for comments

[VVV]

Thanks Jose and Bill,

So the filigree and scabbard work is earliest 50's, probably 60's.
But now I am confused if it's Sulu or Maguindano?
And do you have any comments on the inlay and the blade?
On Berlin, this was the only Moro blade I found there, except a few old Kampilans.

Michael

[Bill]

Originally Posted by VVV

Thanks Jose and Bill,

So the filigree and scabbard work is earliest 50's, probably 60's.
But now I am confused if it's Sulu or Maguindano?
And do you have any comments on the inlay and the blade?
On Berlin, this was the only Moro blade I found there, except a few old Kampilans.

Michael

I think it's a Sulu mid 19C blade. The flower may be the lotus blossom. The other symbols, I'm not sure but they represent swiftness. Some Muslims believed that depicting animal forms was wrong, so it may be a interpetation of a crocodile. It looks like a fine sword & ivory would always be a luxury material; then a 100 years later someone again honors the sword with the filigree hilt, also a luxury. So it comes from a member of the Moro Gentry, shame it's history may be lost.

[Bill]

The tridents are protective in nature & point to the enemy.

[Battara]

Let me be more precise:

Yes I agree that the more I look at it the more Sulu it looks to me. The filigree is Sulu but I am still inclined to say that the other okir bands look more Maguindanao influenced.

On the blade, some of the decor is in the form of stylized vines. I will have to double check on the flowers again, though the type of flower motif on this is more in keeping with Sulu style. What Cato calls "arrows" that line part of the base of the blade are signs of a good quality blade according to him.

Patina: on the ivory, blade, or metal mounts?
On the ivory I would also say mid to late 19thc - which also go with the style of waves in the blade. The metal mounts - hard to tell since they patina so quickly.

Metal mounts look brass to me, though it is possible they could be heavily tarnished white metal. I will bet that they were originally silver bands like the the seemingly original baka-baka clamp.

Oh yeah, the top wranga of the scabbard appears Sulu too, though with later mounts.

[VVV]

Thanks for your comments!

I am not at home at the moment but will take a closer look on Sunday of the details that you have commented.


Michael

[D Wilke]

Battara, I'm confused (which is not something new)
I had thought that all that filigree work came out of Central Mindanao.
All the previous kris that I've seen provenanced to Sulu had generally smaller blades, though I agree this blade looks Sulu (especially the eagle beaks slant) and that they generally had the horsehoof handle. Granted there are many exceptions and I've seen that small pommel on many, but I've not seen that filigree on any blade attributed to Sulu.

Could this have been an old Sulu blade and pommel that was redressed in the Central Mindanao style? I've seen several of that type (and own one) in many of the antique shops in the PI.

Dan

[Battara]

After my brain freeze, I remembered that Mindanao also used filigree too - I have a gunong with some. However, this style of filigree I have attributed to late Sulu in the past. Would you post some pictures of the shop examples you are mentioning please?