Sword (Kalis or Sundang) and scabbard (before 1916): Art, History and Details

Sword (Kalis or Sundang) and scabbard (before 1916) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

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

This sword has a straight kalis blade with squared shoulders, a long central fuller, and an engraved chevron-and-scroll pattern above the guard. The wing guards at the base of the blade are held in place by two asang-asang (fish gill) clamps. The hilt terminates with a silver cockatoo (kakatua)-shaped pommel. Silver pommels of this type are associated with elite datu owners.

Object facts

• Title: Sword (Kalis or Sundang) and scabbard
• Date: before 1916
• Culture: Philippines, Mindanao
• Type: Arms and Armor
• Technique: Blade: metal with brass inlay; grip: cord; pommel: silver
• Dimensions: Overall: 71.3 x 11.1 x 3.2 cm (28 1/16 x 4 3/8 x 1 1/4 in.); Scabbard: 56.1 x 5.1 x 1.8 cm (22 1/16 x 2 x 11/16 in.)
• Collection: Oceanic Art
• Department: Oceania
• Accession number: 1916.751

A detail from the museum

Silver pommels are uncommon in Philippine swords, as silver had to be sourced from abroad (typically China).

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.