Sword (Kalis or Sundang) (1800s): Art, History and Details

Sword (Kalis or Sundang) (1800s) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

The blade of this kalis displays undulations across its entire length, as well as flared shoulders and a pierced wing-type guard carved with okir-style serrations. A single asang-asang (fish gill) clamp secures the guard. The kamagong pommel takes the form of a cockatoo (kakatua). The shape and material indicate a functional but less prestigious object compared with ivory and silver examples made for the Tausug or Maranao people.

Object facts

• Title: Sword (Kalis or Sundang)
• Date: 1800s
• Culture: Philippines, Mindanao
• Type: Arms and Armor
• Dimensions: Overall: 69.9 cm (27 1/2 in.); Blade: 54.3 cm (21 3/8 in.)
• Collection: Oceanic Art
• Department: Oceania
• Accession number: 1918.654

A detail from the museum

Blades with an odd number of undulations were preferred; this example has nine.

Collection credit

Gift of J. H. Wade

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.