Specifications

• Length: 127 cm
• Material: iron, brass. wood, animal teeth, rattan
• Position:
• Gender:
• Indigenous name: balato
• Price realised: € 3.375,-

Provenance

Christie’s, Paris 11-12-2017, lot 310

Publications

Zonneveld, Albert van (2001), Traditional Weapons from the Indonesian Archipelago, 28-29, Sibeth, Achim & Bruce W. Carpenter (2013), Nias Sculpture, 128-143

Additional information

This sword is of unusual length and usually they measure between 60 and 75 cm.

In most cases the hilt of the balato features an animal head, usually the mythical lasara with or without a monkey or ape figure at the back of the head (bekhu). The power ball made of rattan may contain amulets of various material and in rare cases an anthropomophic wooden amulet is inserted. The rattan ball is usually covered with animal teeth in a configuration either imitating a lasara head or forming a ball with the teeth in the centre.

Photo credits

Christie’s, Paris