Burman dha with ivory handle

Mark · 2nd August 2006, 10:48 PM

I thought that I would share a recent addition to my collection. It is a Burman dha (from Burma, specifically the Burman people). The pierced ivory work of the handle is wonderfully intact, and I understand is a style characteristic of Molmein, in southern Burma (near the peninsula). Ivory carving has apparently died out in Molmein itself, but the tradition continues in Rangoon. I have another dha with the same style handle, which has a sleeping Buddha reclining inside, and similar-looking characters peaking out of the vines, but I can't make out if the figure inside this one is sleeping (it looks kind of like it is climbing or standing on a rock).

The blade is a bit extraordinary, as it has a very sharp back edge to it - the first I have seen. Its well made, with sandwich construction (jiagang), jist a narrow edge of the harder inner layer of steel visible.

The scabbard I am sure is a later replacement, but was done carefully to match the original decoration on the handle. A give-away is that the throat of the scabbard was made narrow, instead of round with a width even with the face of the handle.

Valjhun · 2nd August 2006, 10:52 PM

Congratulations Mark! The nicest I've seen!

Lew · 3rd August 2006, 12:45 AM

Sweet piece! Hope you got a good rate on that second mortgage on your house

Lew

ariel · 3rd August 2006, 12:56 AM

Beautiful dha, Mark.
I think the reason why it is so intact is that it was not a "fighter": it has "Take care!!!" written all over it.

RhysMichael · 3rd August 2006, 01:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ariel

Beautiful dha, Mark.
I think the reason why it is so intact is that it was not a "fighter": it has "Take care!!!" written all over it.

The handle may have been designed to show the status of the owner but the blade is definitely top notch also. It looks like it would handle great and certainly hold up to the rigors of fighting. As everyone else has said congrats a great sword.

nechesh · 3rd August 2006, 01:14 AM

Hey Mark, Whatta tryin' to do, get me started collecting dha?

Absolutely beautiful.

FourBlades · 3rd August 2006, 01:31 AM

Mark,

Imagine how long it takes to carve something like this. What are
the dimensions?

John

Mark · 3rd August 2006, 02:04 AM

Blade - 18.75 inches
Handle - 10.5 inches

JT - absolutely right, the handle may be fancy, but the blade is 100% business. It has that great balance and quickness of the longer-handled dha.

Thanks for the kind words, everyone.

According to Fraser-Lu, "During the reigns of the early Kon-baung kings [Kon-baung Dynasty = 1753-1886], ivory was popular for making regalia, ornaments, swords handles, images, religious manuscripts and boxes .... However, by the 1880's royal interest in ivory-carving seems to have waned, and by the time of annexation [1886] there were few ivory craftsmen in the employ of the palace. There were, however, a few private carvers known to be woring in the towns of Moulmein, Bassein, Rangoon, Pyinmana, and Mandalay, but because ivory was expensive, work was always done to order." Burmese Crafts, Past and Present (1994), p. 114. "Moulmein was considered the leading centre for the craft and many Rangoon carvers originated from there .... The art of ivory-carving appears to have died out in Moulmein, and Rangoon today is the main centre for this craft." Id.

The sword-making art also was almost extinguished in Burma after annexation and the passing of the Arms Act, which banned the carrying of most weapons. So the combination of the fine ivory carving and the well-made blade place the age of this guy not much younger than the mid 1880's.

Moulmein is in S. Burma (as I said, down near the Malay Peninsula), which is Mon country. This makes me wonder whether this kind of ivory carving, which you see also in wood, is a Mon rather than Burman style. That's my Western ignorance talking, since I am sure it is no mystery to a Burmese.

This is the handle of the other one I have. The carving is a little more finely done than the new one, but it has some breakage, and of course the pommel is crushed.

The blade on it is nothing special.

You can hardly make out the Buddha inside (his head is toward the pommel).

These guys are sort of like the one on the new dha - one is clearly a "bilu" (ogre).

Ian · 3rd August 2006, 04:52 AM

Lovely pieces Mark. That new one is definitely a beauty. Exraordianry that it has survived so long intact.

Ian.

drdavid · 3rd August 2006, 10:22 AM

Outstanding Mark, really outstanding. The cross section of the blade is not immediately obvious (well to me at least), can you describe it please.
drd

Mark · 3rd August 2006, 12:46 PM

It is essentially lens shaped. It has a back edge the entire length of the blade (also pretty unusual - usually the first 1/2 - 2/3 is flat, rounded or peaked), with the last 1/3 or so being fully sharpened.

The tip, by the way, would be huabua, if it were a Thai blade. Note the likke "beak" at the apex of the top. I don't know what it would be called in Burmese, though.

wilked aka Khun Deng · 5th August 2006, 01:47 PM

Once again you make me jealous. It'll make a nice "set". I saw a matched set of dha at the River City market with this same pierced carving, but the blade and scabbard were definately Ayuttaya style (probably a comissioned set).

The info you gave about the location of the carving was interesting also. I'm wondering if some of that expertice filtered south into Thailand. The reason I say that is in the last few years in Thailand a cottage industry of this type of 3D "in depth" carving on teak has sprung up. I've just purchased a table top sized piece that features a battle scene between monsters and humans and it is carved from a single piece of teak about 8" thick. It shows the same aspects of carving techniques. All of these pieces come from carving "camps" up near Chiang Mai (near the Burmese border) and can take anywhere from 3 to 8 months to finish.

Still looking for someone to finish the ivory carving on my matched set before I'll show them.

Dan

B.I · 5th August 2006, 09:20 PM

hi mark,
i seem to remember seeing a burmese ivory knife. it had a carved handle and an ivory blade (so, a large paper knife?). but, the style was of the same type of work (pierced) and the fact that is didnt have a steel blade was meaningless, as it was created for an exhibition to show the artisans craft.
best thing, though, is that the name of the artisan was given and also his location (a place in burma).
i can try and back track where i saw this, but am pretty sure is was H.H.Coles photographic plates from the simla exhibiton (in the 1880s). am going by memory, but maybe it will give a location for a style of work (even if it isnt the same as yours, it will be of a particualr style seen elsewhere on dhas)

Andrew · 6th August 2006, 04:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark Bowditch

I thought that I would share a recent addition to my collection. It is a Burman dha (from Burma, specifically the Burman people). The pierced ivory work of the handle is wonderfully intact, and I understand is a style characteristic of Molmein, in southern Burma (near the peninsula). Ivory carving has apparently died out in Molmein itself, but the tradition continues in Rangoon. I have another dha with the same style handle, which has a sleeping Buddha reclining inside, and similar-looking characters peaking out of the vines, but I can't make out if the figure inside this one is sleeping (it looks kind of like it is climbing or standing on a rock).

The blade is a bit extraordinary, as it has a very sharp back edge to it - the first I have seen. Its well made, with sandwich construction (jiagang), jist a narrow edge of the harder inner layer of steel visible.

The scabbard I am sure is a later replacement, but was done carefully to match the original decoration on the handle. A give-away is that the throat of the scabbard was made narrow, instead of round with a width even with the face of the handle.

Mark, that is an absolutely exquisite sword. The sharpened back edge is fantastic. Did Philip polish this for you?

Mark · 7th August 2006, 01:42 PM

Thanks. Yes, Philip did the polish.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew

Mark, that is an absolutely exquisite sword. The sharpened back edge is fantastic. Did Philip polish this for you?

2nd August 2006, 10:48 PM	#1
Mark Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 987	Burman dha with ivory handle I thought that I would share a recent addition to my collection. It is a Burman dha (from Burma, specifically the Burman people). The pierced ivory work of the handle is wonderfully intact, and I understand is a style characteristic of Molmein, in southern Burma (near the peninsula). Ivory carving has apparently died out in Molmein itself, but the tradition continues in Rangoon. I have another dha with the same style handle, which has a sleeping Buddha reclining inside, and similar-looking characters peaking out of the vines, but I can't make out if the figure inside this one is sleeping (it looks kind of like it is climbing or standing on a rock). The blade is a bit extraordinary, as it has a very sharp back edge to it - the first I have seen. Its well made, with sandwich construction (jiagang), jist a narrow edge of the harder inner layer of steel visible. The scabbard I am sure is a later replacement, but was done carefully to match the original decoration on the handle. A give-away is that the throat of the scabbard was made narrow, instead of round with a width even with the face of the handle. Attached Images

5th August 2006, 01:47 PM	#12
wilked aka Khun Deng Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Oahu, Hawaii Posts: 166	Incredible! Once again you make me jealous. It'll make a nice "set". I saw a matched set of dha at the River City market with this same pierced carving, but the blade and scabbard were definately Ayuttaya style (probably a comissioned set). The info you gave about the location of the carving was interesting also. I'm wondering if some of that expertice filtered south into Thailand. The reason I say that is in the last few years in Thailand a cottage industry of this type of 3D "in depth" carving on teak has sprung up. I've just purchased a table top sized piece that features a battle scene between monsters and humans and it is carved from a single piece of teak about 8" thick. It shows the same aspects of carving techniques. All of these pieces come from carving "camps" up near Chiang Mai (near the Burmese border) and can take anywhere from 3 to 8 months to finish. Still looking for someone to finish the ivory carving on my matched set before I'll show them. Dan

2nd August 2006, 10:52 PM	#2
Valjhun Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 692	Congratulations Mark! The nicest I've seen!

3rd August 2006, 12:45 AM	#3
Lew (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: East Coast USA Posts: 3,191	Sweet piece! Hope you got a good rate on that second mortgage on your house Lew

3rd August 2006, 12:56 AM	#4
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	Beautiful dha, Mark. I think the reason why it is so intact is that it was not a "fighter": it has "Take care!!!" written all over it.

3rd August 2006, 01:14 AM	#6
nechesh Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 940	Hey Mark, Whatta tryin' to do, get me started collecting dha? Absolutely beautiful.

3rd August 2006, 01:31 AM	#7
FourBlades Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Florida Posts: 13	Mark, Imagine how long it takes to carve something like this. What are the dimensions? John

3rd August 2006, 02:04 AM	#8
Mark Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 987	Blade - 18.75 inches Handle - 10.5 inches JT - absolutely right, the handle may be fancy, but the blade is 100% business. It has that great balance and quickness of the longer-handled dha. Thanks for the kind words, everyone. According to Fraser-Lu, "During the reigns of the early Kon-baung kings [Kon-baung Dynasty = 1753-1886], ivory was popular for making regalia, ornaments, swords handles, images, religious manuscripts and boxes .... However, by the 1880's royal interest in ivory-carving seems to have waned, and by the time of annexation [1886] there were few ivory craftsmen in the employ of the palace. There were, however, a few private carvers known to be woring in the towns of Moulmein, Bassein, Rangoon, Pyinmana, and Mandalay, but because ivory was expensive, work was always done to order." Burmese Crafts, Past and Present (1994), p. 114. "Moulmein was considered the leading centre for the craft and many Rangoon carvers originated from there .... The art of ivory-carving appears to have died out in Moulmein, and Rangoon today is the main centre for this craft." Id. The sword-making art also was almost extinguished in Burma after annexation and the passing of the Arms Act, which banned the carrying of most weapons. So the combination of the fine ivory carving and the well-made blade place the age of this guy not much younger than the mid 1880's. Moulmein is in S. Burma (as I said, down near the Malay Peninsula), which is Mon country. This makes me wonder whether this kind of ivory carving, which you see also in wood, is a Mon rather than Burman style. That's my Western ignorance talking, since I am sure it is no mystery to a Burmese. This is the handle of the other one I have. The carving is a little more finely done than the new one, but it has some breakage, and of course the pommel is crushed. The blade on it is nothing special. You can hardly make out the Buddha inside (his head is toward the pommel). These guys are sort of like the one on the new dha - one is clearly a "bilu" (ogre).

3rd August 2006, 04:52 AM	#9
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,029	Lovely pieces Mark. That new one is definitely a beauty. Exraordianry that it has survived so long intact. Ian.

3rd August 2006, 10:22 AM	#10
drdavid Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Australia Posts: 369	Outstanding Mark, really outstanding. The cross section of the blade is not immediately obvious (well to me at least), can you describe it please. drd

3rd August 2006, 12:46 PM	#11
Mark Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 987	It is essentially lens shaped. It has a back edge the entire length of the blade (also pretty unusual - usually the first 1/2 - 2/3 is flat, rounded or peaked), with the last 1/3 or so being fully sharpened. The tip, by the way, would be huabua, if it were a Thai blade. Note the likke "beak" at the apex of the top. I don't know what it would be called in Burmese, though.

5th August 2006, 09:20 PM	#13
B.I Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 485	hi mark, i seem to remember seeing a burmese ivory knife. it had a carved handle and an ivory blade (so, a large paper knife?). but, the style was of the same type of work (pierced) and the fact that is didnt have a steel blade was meaningless, as it was created for an exhibition to show the artisans craft. best thing, though, is that the name of the artisan was given and also his location (a place in burma). i can try and back track where i saw this, but am pretty sure is was H.H.Coles photographic plates from the simla exhibiton (in the 1880s). am going by memory, but maybe it will give a location for a style of work (even if it isnt the same as yours, it will be of a particualr style seen elsewhere on dhas)