Williams Gallery West Collectibles - Swords, Knives, Spears and other weapons

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Early 20th century Philippine Moro Kampilan beheading sword

c 1900

Collected in 1938. Most likely from the Lake Lanao region on Mendanao.  Carved wooden handle with rattan binding.  Heavy, tapered steel blade is in good condition, still sharp, with moderate surface rust.  Handle is solid.  Rattan binding is partial. 

dimensions: overall length 39 1/2" - handle length 10 1/8" - blade width at widest point 2 1/4"

Handle is carved with an abstracted serpent head, and decorative designs on the outer edges.   There is an approx 3/4" chip on the edge of the handle. ( visible in photo above )  There are a few drops of white paint dripped on the handle. ( visible in photo below )

Blade has some stress cracks that run along the grain of the steel from the hand forging process, one below hook, ( visible in photo below. ) and some near the center of the blade ( visible in top photo. ) The sword was most likely hand forged from scrap steel, found on shipwrecks or traded from passing vessels.  Imperfections in the blade are typical.  Blade is strong and solid despite the cracks.

Upper edge of blade is decorated with a hook-like design. 

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