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

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

The work and its context

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

The kalis is one of the most recognizable bladed weapons of Muslim Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago and was both a weapon and a symbol of rank and honor. This long, double-edged steel blade features continuous undulations from base to tip. Among the Maranao and Maguindanao people, sword making was a specialized craft requiring collaboration among blacksmiths (panday), carvers, and metalsmiths.

Object facts

• Title: Sword (Kalis or Sundang)
• Date: before 1916
• Culture: Philippines, Mindanao
• Type: Arms and Armor
• Technique: Blade: metal; handle: metal with silver wire; pommel: silver
• Dimensions: 66.4 x 12.6 cm (26 1/8 x 4 15/16 in.)
• Collection: Oceanic Art
• Department: Oceania
• Accession number: 1916.750

A detail from the museum

The undulating blade is thought to embody spiritual potency and the dynamic flow of energy.

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.