Sword (Barong)
1800–1916
- Medium
- Blade: steel; handle: silver with braided wire; pommel: ivory with carabao horn inlay
- Dimensions
- Overall: 64.2 cm (25 1/4 in.); Blade: 42 cm (16 9/16 in.)
- Genre
- Arms and armor
- Museum
- Cleveland Museum of Art
Styles
Tags
Philippines
About
This sword has a broad, leaf-shaped blade characteristic of the Sulu Archipelago. Its profile suggests it was used for powerful cut-and-slash fighting. The ivory pommel, inlaid with black hardwood, takes the form of a stylized cockatoo (kakatua). This feature, along with the finely worked horn grip, indicates that this was a prestige weapon owned by a member of the warrior nobility.