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Sword (Kalis or Sundang)
before 1916
- Medium
- Metal blade with ivory pommel and cord-wound grip
- Classification
- Arms and Armor
- Dimensions
- Overall: 70.2 cm (27 5/8 in.); Blade: 56.9 cm (22 3/8 in.)
- Culture
- Philippines, Mindanao
- Museum
- Cleveland Museum of Art, Oceania
- Credit line
- Gift of J. H. Wade
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed
View at the Cleveland Museum of Art
About this work
This sword’s blade is straight near the tip and transitions into gentle undulations toward the lower half. Fine inlaid geometric and floral motifs run along the central ridge. The ivory pommel takes the form of a cockatoo (kakatua), a high-status motif in southern Philippine weaponry. The curving blade form, intricate inlay, and ivory pommel make this a prestige weapon.
