Indonesian Sword ?

[kai]

Hello Jose:

Originally Posted by Royston

The scabbard may be later but it fits ok. The straps are aluminium.

Hello Roy,

I'm with Detlef and the others: definitely a balato. These are still in current production on Nias and mainly used for dances as well as tribal acoutrements for the local actors showing off village life for the many visitors. Of course, these are also available as souvenirs.

I'm fairly sure that this is post-WW2 and possibly quite a bit younger (the scabbard could easily be very recent). There's little apart from patina and wear (and, if any, reasonable provenance) to date these though. The blade looks better than the many beaten up pieces around; trying to etch it wouldn't hurt, I guess.

BTW, has anyone noticed any high-end examples coming out of the Balinese forgery stalls? (Not an issue with the basic examples which will be cheaper to buy on Nias for resale in Indonesia or internationally.)

Regards,
Kai